ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Dan Rogerson: Property business rates for the current financial year on vacant properties, as per e-PIMS records, are:
	(a) Core DEFRA—£73,358
	(b) Executive Agencies and NDPBs—None

Floods: Agriculture

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the impact of agricultural policies in the UK on the level of flooding in recent years.

Dan Rogerson: The outcomes and impacts of agricultural policies are often complex and overlapping. They can vary from year to year depending on external factors, such as the weather patterns encountered in recent years. The impacts of land management, including agriculture, on flood risk will vary from catchment to catchment.
	The Government seek to maximise opportunities to deliver biodiversity, water quality, environmental and flooding benefits together, for instance in designing cross compliance and new environmental land management scheme requirements for CAP 2015. We are currently seeking views on the rules that farmers need to follow, including soil management and erosion prevention, in return for the CAP funding that they receive. We also work with industry to ensure environmental and business resilience.

Floods: Agriculture

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to conducting a national soil survey to assess the effects of recent flood damage on the future productivity of farmland.

Dan Rogerson: Since September 2010 we have commissioned £1.9 million in research addressing soil degradation, much of which involves soil erosion by water. A current research project due for completion next month is examining the long-term effects of waterlogging on soil productivity and exploring opportunities for national soil erosion monitoring.
	We are currently in discussions with the Research Councils on options to assess the impacts of the recent flooding on soil quality.

Internal Drainage Boards: West Sussex

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will undertake a review of the proposal by the Environment Agency to disband the three West Sussex internal drainage boards; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: We have not received a formal proposal from the Environment Agency to disband the three internal drainage boards that are currently operated by the Environment Agency in West Sussex. The Environment Agency has been reviewing options for the future management of these areas in discussion with local authorities and all other interested local stakeholders, including through a steering group chaired by the Arun and Rother Rivers Trust. These local discussions are continuing.

National Rivers Authority

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to re-introduce the National Rivers Authority staffed with civil and flood engineers.

Dan Rogerson: The Triennial Review of the Environment Agency concluded in June 2013 that the organisation should be retained with its current purpose and statutory role. There are no immediate plans to review this.
	The published report can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/triennial-review-of-the-environment-agency-ea-and-natural-england-ne

Nature Conservation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department has made to UK conservation charities in each year since 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The financial systems within core DEFRA do not identify conservation charities specifically. The following table is therefore based on officials' determination of which charities out of those that have received payment from core DEFRA could be considered to be conservation charities.
	The following table shows payments to these charities relating to each of the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Information relating to 2013-14 will be available in July 2014, after the Department's accounts for 2013-14 have been audited and published.
	To determine which funding was specifically a grant rather than a payment would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Charity 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Albertine Rift Conservation Society — — 2.1 
			 Arun and Rother Rivers Trust — 5.0 — 
			 Avon Wildlife Trust — 70.1 — 
			 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust — 5.0 — 
		
	
	
		
			 British Trust for Conservation Volunteers 8.3 1.0 8.0 
			 Bat Conservation Trust 41.4 40.8 71.0 
			 Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust — 3.7 6.8 
			 Botanic Gardens Conversation International — 146.4 — 
			 Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological 77.6 74.5 18.7 
			 Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation — — 38.2 
			 Bristol Natural History Consortium 11.0 15.0 16.7 
			 Buglife the Invertebrate Conservation Trust 13.5 41.6 19.8 
			 Cheshire Wildlife Trust — 16.6 23.8 
			 Cl:aire 68.0 14.0 133.9 
			 Collaboration for Environmental Evidence — — 0.3 
			 Cornwall Wildlife Trust — 31.6 34.3 
			 Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Ltd — 25.9 — 
			 Devon Wildlife Trust 27.2 24.0 0.0 
			 Dorset Wildlife Trust — 7.1 7.3 
			 Durham Wildlife Trust 95.5 104.8 101.3 
			 Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust 278.1 236.7 200.3 
			 Eden Rivers Trust — 96.8 — 
			 Essex Wildlife Trust 5.0 23.0 3.6 
			 Falklands Conservation 24.0 51.9 82.5 
			 Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group 4.0 — — 
			 Fauna and Flora International 559.6 701.4 607.7 
			 Global Diversity Foundation — — 26.7 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Ltd 10.0 15.1 — 
			 Hymettus Ltd 42.3 48.3 6.6 
			 Marine Conservation Society 180.0 85.8 63.8 
			 North East Wales Wildlife 70.6 68.8 71.5 
			 North of England Zoological Society 171.1 135.6 39.0 
			 Northumberland Wildlife Trust — — 12.5 
			 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 906.9 884.3 726.1 
			 Royal Society Of Wildlife Trusts — 1,131.0 17.0 
			 Severn Rivers Trust — 94.5 1.6 
			 Shropshire Wildlife Trust Ltd — 10.0 — 
			 South Cumbria Rivers Trust — 16.0 — 
			 Southern Sea Fisheries Committee 17.4 — — 
			 Staffordshire Wildlife Trust — 18.4 — 
			 Surrey Wildlife Trust — 12.8 — 
			 Sussex Wildlife Trust 2.6 . — 
			 Tale Valley Trust — — 1.5 
			 Thames River Restoration Trust — 5.0 — 
			 The Calder and Colne Rivers Trust — — 26.5 
			 The Endangered Wildlife Trust — 50.0 — 
			 The Frog life Trust — — 2.9 
			 The Global Diversity Foundation 186.2 188.5 98.0 
			 The Grasslands Trust UK 0.0 — — 
			 The Lune Rivers Trust — 5.0 — 
			 The National Trust 321.6 115.7 81.3 
			 The Shark Trust — 1.0 — 
			 The Thomas Phillips Price Trust 1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 The Wandle Trust — 5.0 — 
			 The Waterways Trust — 2.0 — 
			 The Wetland Trust 8.6 — 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			 The Wildflower Ark 5.0 — — 
			 The Wildlife Trusts 5.0 — — 
			 The Woodland Trust 2.0 2.8 1.6 
			 Trent Rivers Trust — 5.0 — 
			 Waterwise Project 353.9 — — 
			 Westcountry Rivers Trust — 95.0 0.1 
			 Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society 15.2 12.0 2.4 
			 Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust 132.2 39.6 89.0 
			 Wildlife Trust For Birmingham and Black Country — 46.8 — 
			 Wiltshire Wildlife Trust 3.8 24.8 — 
			 World Wildlife Fund 54.7 3.9 — 
			 Wye and Usk Foundation — 5.0 — 
			 Zoological Society of London 432.0 800.9 725.7 
			     
			 Total 4,135.5 5,666.7 3,372.1

Nature Conservation

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which CITES Annex A and B listed species have been (a) imported into and (b) exported from the UK in each of the last five years; and what the reasons for each such import and export were.

George Eustice: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost because of the amount of staff time it would require for the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to extract this information from its licensing database. For example, in 2013 there were a total of 22,143 applications to import, export or re-export CITES Annex A species covering 1,217 different species.
	The CITES Secretariat publishes a trade database that currently holds 7 million records of trade in wildlife and 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. The database can be accessed at:
	www.cites.org/eng/resources/trade.shtml

Nature Conservation

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of CITES-listed animals imported into the UK in each month of the last five years.

George Eustice: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost because of the amount of staff time it would require for the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to extract this information from its licensing database.
	The CITES Secretariat publishes a trade database that currently holds 7 million records of trade in wildlife and 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. The database can be accessed at:
	www.cites.org/eng/resources/trade.shtml

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

Dan Rogerson: Trade union activities relate specifically to the running and administration of the trade union.
	Prior to January 2013 core DEFRA did not distinguish between trade union activities and other trade union functions when gathering information relating to trade union costs. Therefore, for the years 2011 and 2012 no information can be provided.
	In 2012-13, DEFRA (and other Government Departments) carried out a review of trade union facility time, which is the time trade union representatives can spend carrying out trade union functions. This enabled us to distinguish trade union activities from other functions.
	For the period 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013, the salary cost to core DEFRA for trade union activities was £11,667 which equated to approximately 85 days. These costs do not include travel and subsistence as these data are not recorded separately from costs associated with other trade union functions.
	Since 1 July 2013, following a review of trade union facility time, core DEFRA has not provided any funding for trade union activities.

Tree Planting

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage local communities to plant trees.

Dan Rogerson: Through the Big Tree Plant funding scheme, we are encouraging local community groups to plant trees in neighbourhoods where people live and work. These trees are often planted in our most deprived urban neighbourhoods. So far, the scheme has supported the planting of over half a million trees in England and is on target to achieve its aim of supporting the planting of 1 million new trees by March 2015.
	The English Woodland Grant Scheme supports woodland creation through the provision of grants to individuals and organisations. The scheme is currently not accepting new applications. However, we intend as part of the new Rural Development Programme to offer woodland creation grants in 2015.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many women human rights defenders staff in the UK embassy in Kabul has met in the last six months; and what direct intervention the UK has recently made on their behalf in relation to their security needs.

Hugh Robertson: We do not maintain a central record, but staff throughout the embassy, and visiting Ministers, meet a range of different human rights defenders, including high-profile women activists and campaigners. Over the past six months many dozens of such meetings have taken place. Human rights defenders play an important role in shaping the UK Government's political and development work in Afghanistan. In line with EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, both FCO and DFID embassy staff maintain regular contact with civil society organisations and human rights activists, including those working on behalf of women's rights, to discuss concerns and share information.

Bahrain

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of human rights violations in Bahrain; if he will designate Bahrain as a country of concern; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Bahrain and issue a biannual assessment as a country case study in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's human rights report. Country case studies were introduced in 2012 as a way to report on countries which do not meet the overall threshold for a country of concern, but which we judge to be facing human rights challenges, or to be on a trajectory of change with regard to their human rights performance. Bahrain's designation as a country case study strikes an appropriate balance between the undoubted progress made in some areas and our continuing concerns in others.

Bahrain

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of progress in implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We assess that the Bahraini Government remain committed to implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. We continue to encourage the Bahraini Government to build on the positive steps taken and ensure that the remaining recommendations are implemented soon.

Bahrain

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the current situation on torture in Bahrain with the UN Special Rapporteur; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to set a date for the visit to Bahrain of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. We welcome the current visit to Bahrain of a technical team from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and we await the findings of this visit.

Bahrain

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received about the shooting of Fadel Abbas by security forces in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of the death of Fadel Abbas on 25 January. We encourage the Government of Bahrain to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.

Free Movement of People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent Swiss referendum result on the free movement of people in the EU on the long-term validity of that policy.

David Lidington: The Government will consider carefully any Swiss proposal to implement the result of the referendum but Switzerland has not yet set out how it intends to do this. It is too early to comment on what any proposal may look like.
	We support the principle of free movement but this referendum reflects the growing concern around Europe about its impact. This is why we are working together with our European partners to tackle the issue of abuse of free movement.

Free Movement of People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that there be a UK referendum on the principle of free movement of people within the EU.

David Lidington: Freedom of movement is an important principle of the EU but is not and cannot be a completely unqualified one. We are focusing on cutting out the abuse of free movement between EU member states and are seeking to address factors that drive European immigration to Britain.
	Through the European Union Act 2011, the Government have legislated to ensure that any further transfers of power from the UK to the EU would require the people's consent in a referendum. The question of referenda on EU membership will be addressed by political parties in their manifestos.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to prevent drug smuggling into Gibraltar.

David Lidington: Action to prevent drug smuggling into Gibraltar is the constitutional competence of HM Government of Gibraltar. However, through its International Liaison Officer (ILO) Network the National Crime Agency (NCA) provides bi-lateral assistance to Law Enforcement agencies in Gibraltar, where required, to combat serious and organised crime, including drug trafficking. The NCA will also work with Gibraltar through international law enforcement bodies, such as Interpol, to combat serious and organised crime.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what correspondence his Department has received from the group For a Humanitarian Frontier.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received no letters from the group For a Humanitarian Frontier in the last year.

Gibraltar: Spain

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to demonstrate to the Spanish Government that the UK does not intend to negotiate on the matter of Gibraltar.

David Lidington: The Government's policy is that the UK will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content. Both Ministers and officials make this position clear to the Spanish Government on all appropriate occasions. While the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has reiterated to the Spanish Government his proposal of April 2012 to hold ad hoc talks involving all relevant parties, we have consistently made clear that these would not include negotiations on Gibraltar's sovereignty.

Morocco

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports he has received from the UK ambassador in Rabat on the arrest of the journalists Lafkir Laghdaf and Khaled Rouhi;
	(2)  if his Department will raise with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK the arrests of the journalists Lafkir Laghdaf and Khaled Rouhi.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of reports of the arrest of these two people, but understand that they have both now been released. We regularly emphasise to Morocco the importance of full respect for human rights in Western Sahara. I discussed this issue during my trip to Rabat last week.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

Hugh Robertson: The FCO did not record or cost centrally time spent on activities by trade union members, in financial years, until 2012. Following Government reform to trade union facility time in 2012, all trade union representatives now spend a maximum of 50% of their time on trade union work with effect from 26 November 2013. In addition, since March 2013 facility time spent on both duties and activities is recorded and provided to the Cabinet Office in line with the quarterly reporting requirements.

Uganda

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the UK will (a) review and (b) suspend security assistance to the Government of Uganda following the passage of the recent anti-homosexuality law in that country.

Mark Simmonds: Our civilian security assistance to the Government of Uganda involves support on aviation and cyber security. We have no plans to review or suspend our assistance, which is in the UK's security interests. Respect for human rights underpins all UK training and support for overseas security programmes.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to support human rights in Uganda in response to the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act and the Anti-Pornography Act.

Mark Simmonds: We will continue to make clear our deep concern and disappointment at recent developments. We urge the Government of Uganda to protect all its citizens without discrimination on any grounds, and call on the Ugandan authorities to investigate any such attacks fully. We are separately considering how we can best support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and those working to champion their rights. Our high commission in Kampala is supporting a Kaleidoscope Trust project working with the LGBT community.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has any planned diplomatic engagements with the Government of Uganda.

Mark Simmonds: Our high commissioner to Uganda met with the Ugandan President on 11 March. In recent weeks, she has also met the Ugandan Minister of Justice, Inspector General of Police, the Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. I will be meeting the Ugandan high commissioner to the UK in March. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), expects to meet with the Ugandan President at the EU-Africa summit in Brussels, due to take place on 2 to 3 April.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has identified any threat to British LGBTI citizens travelling to Uganda.

Mark Simmonds: We have updated our travel advice for Uganda with regards to the environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) travellers. Our travel advice is reviewed regularly.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met Uganda's high commissioner in London.

Mark Simmonds: The Ugandan high commissioner arrived in July 2013. I met the high commissioner during the visit to the UK of the Ugandan Energy Minister on 18 November. I will be meeting with the high commissioner in March to discuss, among other things, the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Commonwealth Governments on Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act and Anti-Pornography Act.

Hugo Swire: The Anti-Homosexuality Act runs counter to the Commonwealth's commitment to equality and respect without discrimination on any grounds, which Uganda agreed under the Commonwealth Charter. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made clear in his public statement of 24 February our deep concern and disappointment at Uganda's recent legislation. The Foreign Secretary also wrote to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on 1 March to ask him to work with us to review the worrying trend on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. I will discuss this issue with the Commonwealth Secretary-General in a meeting later this week.
	We continue to raise our concerns about the legislation with the Ugandan Government at the most senior levels and our high commission in Kampala continues to discuss the issue with Commonwealth high commissions on the ground. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds), raised our concerns with the Ugandan Foreign Minister on 28 December 2013 and again on 28 January, the Deputy Foreign Minister on 13 February 2014, and with the Ugandan high commissioner on 18 March. Our high commissioner to Uganda also raised our concerns with the Ugandan President on 11 March.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking in order to prevent further Russian aggression towards Ukraine; and what steps he plans to take following any further such aggression.

David Lidington: The Government remain in constant contact with the Ukrainian Government, US Government, Russian Government, our partners in the EU and our allies in NATO and the G7.
	Our main objective is to avoid any further military escalation of the conflict, and instead to see Russia return its forces to their bases and respect Ukrainian sovereignty. We strongly believe the situation should be dealt with through diplomacy and mediation in the relevant international organisations—such as the UN and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The UK is committed to supporting such steps.
	We have made firm representations to Russia, urging them to meet their international commitments. The UK has been clear that there will be costs and consequences for its actions. We have suspended preparations for the G8 meeting and have withdrawn royal and ministerial visits to the Sochi Paralympic games.
	At EU level, we have suspended visa liberalisation talks and have suspended discussion on a new EU-Russia cooperation agreement. We are considering what further measures we might take to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia if it does not de-escalate the current unacceptable situation.
	We will take decisions on any further diplomatic, political and economic measures in close collaboration with EU and G7 partners.

West Africa

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support an African-led solution to problems of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

Hugh Robertson: We are working with the regional economic organisations—the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC)—regional states, international organisations and partners to build regional capacity to counter maritime criminality.
	Through our presidency of the G8 last year we drove the expansion of the G8++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea experts group, which co-ordinates international partners' capacity building support to the region.
	HMS Portland is currently conducting a comprehensive deployment in the region, participating in a multilateral counter-narcotics exercise and training with local naval groupings. The UK is also providing training, expertise, equipment and maintenance in a number of states.
	The UK is supporting an industry-led initiative to establish a Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre for the Gulf of Guinea which will provide support and advice to the shipping industry as well as collate data and evidence to contribute to prosecutions.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa discussed Western Sahara with (a) Abdelilah Benkirane, Head of Government and (b) Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, during his recent visit to Rabat.

Hugh Robertson: I met Prime Minister Benkirane and Foreign Minister Mezouar during my recent visit to Rabat. We discussed a wide range of foreign policy and bilateral issues, including Western Sahara.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Polisario Front on security in the parts of Western Sahara under its control.

Hugh Robertson: British Ministers have no current plans to meet the Polisario Front. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials meet them regularly and discuss a wide range of political, economic and security issues.
	The British Government strongly support UN-led efforts to encourage Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree a long-lasting and mutually-acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	As part of that process, Ambassador Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, visited the region in February 2014 and met a wide range of interlocutors including the Governments of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario leadership.

TREASURY

Children: Day Care

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of savings accruing to the public purse if the new tax-free childcare scheme was restricted to parents earning less than (a) £100,000, (b) £90,000, (c) £80,000, (d) £75,000, (e) £70,000, (f) £65,000 and (g) £60,000 per annum.

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Norwich South (Simon Wright) on 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 607W.

Gift Aid

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the amount which will be raised for charities through the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations Scheme, by 31 March 2014;
	(2)  what recent consideration he has given to enabling the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations scheme to benefit from contactless and cashless payments;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance in relation to the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations Scheme; and whether he plans to amend that guidance;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with charities regarding the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations Scheme;
	(5)  what recent estimate he has made of the amount which will be raised for charities via the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations Scheme, compared to the estimate provided when the Bill was passed;
	(6)  how much funding has been raised for charities through the Gift Aid Small Charitable Donations Scheme in each month since it commenced in April 2013.

Nicky Morgan: The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) began on 6 April 2013, enabling charities to claim a top-up payment on small cash donations received from that date onwards. The scheme was established for small cash donations only as this was identified as the area where it was often especially difficult to collect Gift Aid declarations.
	The Government have committed to a review of the GASDS after three years of its operation, in 2016, and will consider whether any fundamental changes to the scheme are needed, such as the inclusion of different payment types, at that stage.
	Statistics on charity tax reliefs are available at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/charity/table10-2.pdf
	Most charities will make their GASDS claim alongside their Gift Aid claims, and the majority of charities only make one Gift Aid claim a year, after the end of their financial year. Therefore we do not expect to see a clear picture of how much charities have claimed under the GASDS in its first year for some months yet. Similarly, the estimates of take-up of the GASDS will not be reviewed until there is a clearer evidence base on which to conduct a review.
	As part of my ministerial responsibilities I meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including with charities. As was the case with the previous Administration, it is not the Government's practise to disclose the details of these meetings.
	HMRC provides entry-level guidance to help the vast majority of charities use the GASDS, along with detailed guidance for those charities with more complex situations. HMRC have also issued a helpsheet to introduce charities to the scheme and help as many to use it as possible. All guidance remains under review.

Members: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 519W, on Members: correspondence, when he plans to respond to the correspondence dated 26 February 2013 forwarded to HM Revenue and Customs from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the regulation of tobacco companies.

Sajid Javid: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Minimum Wage: Yorkshire and Humberside

Andrew Percy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines have been issued to employers in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber for non-payment of the national minimum wage in each year since 2010; and what the total value of such fines was in each such area.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
	HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or county. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.
	Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice. A new enforcement regime, introduced in April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Corby (Andy Sawford), on 24 Feb 2014, Official Report, column 30W, which gives the number of companies that have received financial penalties from HM Revenue and Customs for non-payment of the minimum wage across the UK in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13. Between 1 April 2013 and 28 February this year, HMRC has issued 561 penalties across the UK for non-payment of national minimum wage, with a combined value of £671,524.

Revenue and Customs

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has a faster and more effective appeals process.

David Gauke: HMRC’s internal appeals process offers customers the option of a statutory review of any appealable matter. The statutory review system gives HMRC's customers a quick and easy way to ask HMRC to look again at their decisions. HMRC has 45 days to complete a review: any extensions of time must be agreed with customers. HMRC’s published records1 show that the vast majority of reviews are completed within 45 days.
	Most cases end with review. If the question relates to cases which proceed to tribunal or court, such institutions are independent from HMRC. As a party to appeals, HMRC aims to advance its side of cases as efficiently as possible, but questions on tribunal or court matters should be addressed to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling).
	1http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/complaints-appeals/reviews-appeals-2011-12.pdf

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

Nicky Morgan: Information has been collected centrally since January 2013 and since then no funding has been provided to staff to carry out trade union activities. Prior to January 2013 information was not collected and is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many debts arising from overpayment of tax credits were transferred to debt collection agencies in each month in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps HM Revenue and Customs takes to contact claimants about overpayments of tax credits; and how many attempts to contact such claimants are made before a debt is transferred to a debt collection agency.

Nicky Morgan: This information is not available centrally, and could be researched only at disproportionate cost.
	Where a household continues to receive tax credits, overpayments are recovered from their ongoing award.
	Where a tax credit award ends, and an outstanding overpayment is identified, HMRC issues a letter to the customer explaining how the overpayment arose, and advising them what they need to do if they disagree with the calculation. If a customer fails to exercise their right of appeal against the decision to end their award, HMRC will then issue a notice to pay. The notice to pay gives the customer an opportunity to pay the overpayment in full, or discuss options for repaying their debt by instalments. If the customer fails to respond to a notice to pay, HMRC will proceed to debt recovery action.
	The number of contacts a customer may have with HMRC before a referral is made to a third party recovery agency will depend on how the customer chooses to respond to initial correspondence from HMRC. In any case, before a debt is referred to an external agency, HMRC will always issue a final opportunity letter. This again asks the customer to contact HMRC either to make payment or discuss an arrangement to pay by instalments, and explains that failure to do so may result in their debt being referred to a debt collection agency for pursuit.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer the question of 8 January 2014 from the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton, on fraudulent websites.

David Gauke: I replied to the right hon. Member on 25 February 2014, Official Report, column 285-86W.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what consideration the Church Commissioners gave to the historical or other interest of the residence at the Bishop's Palace at Wells before planning alternative accommodation for the Bishop in accordance with section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943.

Tony Baldry: Section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943 applies only where the Commissioners propose to exercise a power conferred by that Measure—that is to say, to transfer a house to the diocesan authority, convert it for use for other purposes, sell, let or otherwise dispose of it, or demolish it or part of it. The Commissioners have not exercised any of those powers in relation to the Palace, as the intention is that the Bishop will continue to work and worship there.

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will publish a complete list of the grounds considered valid for the purposes of an objection to the exchange of the house of residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells by the Bishop's Council and Standing Committee.

Tony Baldry: It is for the Archbishops’ Council, or any committee appointed by it to consider the objection, to decide whether the objection should be upheld or not. That decision will depend on the specific facts of the particular case. The Archbishops’ Council is required by virtue of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009 to consider “all relevant circumstances”, which includes but is not limited to the grounds of the objection. There is therefore no such list in existence.

Church of England

Pamela Nash: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of recent trends in the proportion of Church of England congregations that are (a) from black and Asian minority ethnic groups, (b) women, (c) disabled people and (d) from low-income groups.

Tony Baldry: The most recent assessment of the proportion of Church of England congregations that are women and from Black and Asian minority ethnic groups was in the 2007 Congregational Diversity Audit. This was the first time such a survey had been conducted, and therefore no trends are yet available. It did not record information on people with disabilities and those from low-income groups.
	The 2007 Diversity Audit showed that Black and Black British adults were more likely to belong to Church of England local congregations than their White counterparts. This results in a stronger picture of congregational strength in those dioceses where the presence of Black and Black British adults is high, for example, urban areas.
	The survey showed the vitality of a younger profile that people from minority ethnic backgrounds bring to local church congregations. Among younger adult congregation members aged under 35 years, the ethnic minority proportion matched the proportion in the whole population, at around 15%.
	The largest proportion of minority ethnic Anglicans (two-thirds) were clustered in the main three dioceses around the London conurbation and, consequently, contribute to a younger profile of churches in the London area.
	Nationally, urban Church of England parishes recorded an average of 9% minority ethnic Anglicans in their core adult congregations, while suburban and rural parishes recorded 4%.
	In general, a greater proportion of White core congregation members belong to church councils and are local church office holders than their minority ethnic counterparts.
	A further Congregational Diversity Audit is being planned for the autumn of this year. It will collect information on gender, age and ethnicity and, for the first time, disability.

Church of England

Pamela Nash: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy of the Church of England were from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in each year since 2000.

Tony Baldry: Data on the ethnicity of clergy were collected for the first time in the 2005 Diversity Audit of Clergy which established a baseline. This can be viewed online at:
	http://www.churchofengland.org/media/36348/diversityreportsummary.pdf
	Compared with 2005, the first year for which statistics were published, in 2012 there was slightly higher proportion of clergy from minority ethnic backgrounds, rising from just over 2% in 2005 to 3% in 2012. In the same period there was a slight fall in clergy describing themselves as White British, from 95% in 2005 to 93% in 2012. Only for assistant curates and non-parochial diocesan clergy did any ethnic background other than White British or any other White background, represent more than 1% of clergy (1% of assistant curates describing themselves as African and 2% of non-parochial diocesan clergy describing themselves as White and Black African).
	However it is difficult to draw firm conclusions, as the 2012 statistics on stipendiary clergy by ethnicity also showed that a high proportion of clergy had either omitted or chosen not to disclose their ethnic background. From 2014 a declaration of ethnicity (including a ‘prefer not to state’ option) will be a requirement for all those applying for selection for ordination training.

Church of England

Pamela Nash: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will publish a list of all (a) UK and (b) overseas equities held by the Commissioners' investment fund in each year since May 2010.

Tony Baldry: Information about the largest material holdings of the Church Commissioners is available in the annual report, which can be found on the website of the Church Commissioners. More detailed information is commercially sensitive and the Church Commissioners are unable to release it.

Churches

Pamela Nash: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, 
	(1)  if he will publish a breakdown of funds that the Church Commissioners have made available for dioceses based in Nigeria in each year since 2010;
	(2)  what funds in each category of expenditure the Church Commissioners have made available for dioceses based in Uganda in each year since 2010.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners have no power to make funds available to other provinces of the Anglican Communion.

LGBT People

Pamela Nash: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, 
	(1)  what recent discussions the leaders of the Anglican church have had with the Archbishop of Uganda regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights;
	(2)  what recent discussions the leaders of the Anglican church have had with the Archbishop of Nigeria regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

Tony Baldry: On 29 January 2014, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote to all Primates of the Anglican Communion, Moderators of the United Churches, and the Presidents of Nigeria and Uganda, recalling the words of the communiqué issued in 2005 after a meeting of Anglican Communion Primates in Dromantine, which said:
	“..we wish to make it quite clear that in our discussion and assessment of moral appropriateness of specific human behaviours, we continue unreservedly to be committed to the pastoral support and care of homosexual people.
	The victimisation or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be order towards people of the same sex is anathema to us. We assure homosexual people that they are children of God, loved and valued by him and deserving the best we can give - pastoral care and friendship.”
	The Archbishops noted that demonstrating the love and affirmation of which the communiqué speaks requires action as well as acceptance of its principles, including by leaders in those places where relevant legislation has recently taken effect. The Church of England fully respects the jurisdiction and autonomy of other churches within the Anglican Communion and conversations continue, both among the Primates and through the many friendships that exist through Diocesan links.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will authorise the release as a spreadsheet of the postcode data used for the Cumbria county council broadband coverage map.

Edward Vaizey: The data are the responsibility of Cumbria County Council, as part of its contract for superfast broadband roll-out with BT. DCMS has issued guidance to local authorities encouraging them to publish maps with information on roll-out plans to seven digit postcode level.

Football

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions she has met representatives of the (a) Premier League and (b) Football Association to discuss access to grassroots football.

Helen Grant: I have regular meetings with the English football authorities to discuss a range of issues, including their support for grassroots football.

Football

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to increase and support participation in grassroots football.

Helen Grant: Sport England will invest £30 million from 2013-17 to get more people playing grassroots football as part of their Whole Sport Plans. Over £100 million over the next three years will be invested by my Department, the Premier League and the Football Association in the PL-FA Facilities Fund, to improve grassroots facilities. The Football Association invests approximately £40 million a year supporting their National Game programme, and the Premier League is similarly investing £56 million a season between 2013 and 2016 on grassroots and community-focused projects.

Gambling: Advertising

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to limit the level of gambling advertisements on television.

Helen Grant: The Government are currently reviewing the regulatory controls on gambling advertising to ensure they are adequate. The Gambling Commission, the Advertising Standards Authority, the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice are each contributing to this review. In addition, the Government have asked the Remote Gambling Association to co-ordinate an industry-led review of the voluntary Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Gambling with a view to providing recommendations by summer 2014.

Gambling: Licensing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether companies already licensed by the Gambling Commission will be required to demonstrate the same business practices as those newly-applying under the forthcoming licensing regime. [R]

Helen Grant: The new licensing regime will bring consistency of standards to the entire British-facing remote gambling market, and is expected to apply to both existing and new licensed remote operators.

Gambling: Licensing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the new licensing regime issued by the Gambling Commission on the international business operations of prospective licensees; and what representations she has received relating to this matter from prospective licensees. [R]

Helen Grant: We do not expect the new licensing regime to have a detrimental effect on the business operations of prospective licensees based overseas. The Department has had ongoing and constructive dialogue with the remote gambling industry about the impact of the new regime, since it was first proposed in 2011.

Music: Overseas Students

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to encourage citizens of the Commonwealth who are studying at UK conservatoires to pursue careers in the UK.

Edward Vaizey: This Government recognise the important contribution that talented international graduates can make to the UK economy. International students can stay in the UK after study, providing they get a graduate level job paying £20,300 a year or more, or as a Graduate Entrepreneur, under the first scheme of its kind in the world.
	International students (outside the European economic area and Switzerland) can apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if they have been endorsed as an internationally recognised leader in the arts, or as an emerging leader. Their application for endorsement is considered by Arts Council England.

Parliament Square: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on which occasions the flags of the Commonwealth are flown on Parliament Square.

Edward Vaizey: The flags of the Commonwealth nations are usually flown in Parliament Square on Commonwealth day. However, due to paving repair works taking place on the square it was not possible to fly the Commonwealth flags in the square on Commonwealth day this year. As an alternative, the flags were flown on Horseguards road.

Sports: Finance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England funding has been allocated to local authorities (a) in and (b) not in the core city group in the last three years.

Helen Grant: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Total Sport England grants to local authorities in core cities group (£) Total Sport England grants to local authorities not in core cities group (£) 
			 2011-12 191,217 5,990,341 
			 2012-13 1,044,552 13,375,689 
			 2013-14 2,688,295 11,162,585 
			 Total 3,924,064 30,528,615

JUSTICE

Legal Aid

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his future plans for legal aid are.

Shailesh Vara: We are implementing the reforms to litigation procurement and Crown court advocacy fees that we announced last month. While making fee reductions is unavoidable, we have listened to the professions wherever we can, taking concrete steps to ease the impact of the changes we are making. In addition the Justice Secretary has given a personal commitment that this Government will not seek further savings from criminal legal aid.
	The Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency keep the operation of both the criminal and civil legal aid schemes under continual review. The Government plan to undertake a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 within three to five years of implementation. This review will include an assessment of the impact of the reforms implemented during that period.

Rehabilitation

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his reforms to rehabilitation aimed at reducing reoffending.

Jeremy Wright: On 13 March 2014, the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 received Royal Assent. This Act addresses the gap that sees 50,000 short sentenced prisoners—those most likely to reoffend—released on to the streets each year with no support, by providing these offenders with supervision in the community for the first time in recent history.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Members’ Staff

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what criteria the IPSA Contingency Panel used to grant uplifts to hon. Members' staffing expenditure budgets in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.
	The rules concerning the Contingency Panel are set out at Paragraph 10.12 of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.
	They set out that in relation to each application the Contingency Panel will consider:
	a. whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;
	b. whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and
	c. whether the MP's performance of parliamentary functions will be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.
	Given the significant increase in staffing budgets made in 2012/13, we have not provided contingency funding for MPs' staffing expenditure budgets on the basis of increased casework in 2013/14.

Members’ Staff

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) highest and (b) lowest uplift allocated to hon. Members' staff expenditure budgets was in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 to date.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.
	In 2012/13 the highest uplift approved by the Contingency Panel was £13,909 and the lowest was £600.
	In 2013/14 to date, the highest has been £17,900 and the lowest £600.
	These figures do not include other uplifts to provide cover for staff on maternity, paternity, adoption and long term sick leave.

TRANSPORT

Liverpool Port

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to the European Commission on the state aid judgement on the Merseyside cruise terminal; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: None. I note the Commission's decision, which effectively gives state aid clearance to the original award of grant to Liverpool city council, and to the removal of the prohibition of turnaround visits at the city of Liverpool cruise terminal.

Railways: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the electrification of the Windermere to Oxenholme railway line.

Stephen Hammond: Good progress has been made on the development of the full business case for electrification. I hope to be able to make an announcement later this year.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bellwin Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have been affected by the recent flooding and have applied to his Department for funding under the Bellwin scheme.

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. It operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.
	As at 17 March, 106 local authorities have registered for funding under the Bellwin scheme in respect of the recent flooding. Other authorities who have also been affected by the floods may yet register for the scheme. The authorities who have so far registered are:
	1. Arun District Council
	2. Ashford Borough Council
	3. Aylesbury Vale District Council
	4. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
	5. Boston Borough Council
	6. Blackpool Borough Council
	7. Bournemouth Borough Council
	8. Buckinghamshire County Council
	9. Canterbury City Council
	10. Cheshire East Council
	11. Chiltern District Council
	12. Copeland Borough Council
	13. Cornwall Council
	14. Cotswold District Council
	15. Croydon London Borough
	16. Dartford Borough Council
	17. Devon County Council
	18. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
	19. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
	20. Dorset County Council
	21. Dover District Council
	22. East Devon District Council
	23. East Hampshire District Council
	24. East Lindsey District Council
	25. East Riding of Yorkshire Council
	26. East Sussex County Council
	27. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
	28. Elmbridge Borough Council
	29. Exeter City Council
	30. Fareham Borough Council
	31. Gloucestershire County Council
	32. Great Yarmouth Borough Council
	33. Guildford Borough Council
	34. Hampshire County Council
	35. Hampshire Fire and Rescue service
	36. Havant Borough Council
	37. Herefordshire Council
	38. Hull City Council
	39. Isle of Wight Council
	40. Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service
	41. Kent County Council
	42. King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council
	43. Lewes District Council
	44. Maidstone Borough Council
	45. Malvern Hills District Council
	46. Newcastle City Council
	47. New Forest District Council
	48. Norfolk County Council
	49. North Devon Council
	50. North Lincolnshire Council
	51. North Norfolk District Council
	52. Northamptonshire County Council
	53. Northumberland County Council
	54. Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset
	55. Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
	56. Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire
	57. Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk
	58. Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley
	59. Oxford City Council
	60. Oxfordshire County Council
	61. Poole Borough Council
	62. Plymouth City Council
	63. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
	64. Reading Borough Council
	65. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
	66. Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	67. Runnymede Borough Council
	68. Scarborough Borough Council
	69. Sedgemoor District Council
	70. Sevenoaks District Council
	71. Shropshire County Council
	72. Slough Borough Council
	73. Somerset County Council
	74. South Hams District Council
	75. South Somerset District Council
	76. Southampton City Council
	77. Spelthorne Borough Council
	78. Suffolk Coastal District Council
	79. Suffolk County Council
	80. Surrey County Council
	81. Swale Borough Council
	82. Tandridge District Council
	83. Taunton Deane Borough Council
	84. Teignbridge District Council
	85. Tendring District Council
	86. Test Valley Borough Council
	87. Thanet District Council
	88. Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council
	89. Torridge District Council
	90. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
	91. Tewkesbury Borough Council
	92. Torbay Borough Council
	93. Waveney District Council
	94. Waverley Borough Council
	95. West Berkshire District Council
	96. West Oxfordshire District Council
	97. West Somerset District Council
	98. West Sussex County Council
	99. Wiltshire Council
	100. Winchester City Council
	101. Woking Borough Council
	102. Worcester City Council
	103. Worcestershire County Council
	104. Wycombe District Council
	105. Wyre Council
	106. Wyre Forest District Council

Energy

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many local authorities have included in their development plans requirements for (a) higher energy efficiency standards than those required by Building Regulations and (b) onsite generation of energy;
	(2)  what reductions in carbon dioxide emissions have resulted in the last five years from local authorities putting requirements in their development plans for (a) higher energy efficiency standards than those required by Building Regulations and (b) onsite generation of energy in new developments.

Stephen Williams: Central Government do not collect information on individual policies in development plans. However, information from surveys was used to provide estimates of the impacts of such policies, and the range of scenarios leading to this impact (such as the numbers of code homes constructed), and this was included in the consultation stage impact assessment published alongside the Housing Standards Review. The impact assessment is available at this link.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230252/3_-_Housing_Standards_Review_-_IA_with_Annex.pdf
	Information is available on carbon emissions by local authority areas but is not disaggregated in a way for it to be possible to ascribe any changes in emissions in local authority areas to specific policy requirements in development plans. Some local authorities may monitor the impact of their development plans and these can be obtained from individual authorities. The Department is undertaking further work to update the Housing Standards Review impact assessment on this and other issues.

Green Belt: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) green belt and (b) open green spaces in (i) the county of Greater Manchester, (ii) Tameside metropolitan borough and (iii) Stockport metropolitan borough.

Nicholas Boles: We have maintained strong protections for all green belt. This Government continue to attach great importance to green belt as a way to prevent sprawl and encroachment on open countryside, and as a vital ‘green lung' for many communities. Our abolition of top-down regional strategies removed the threat to green belt round many towns and cities. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that openness and permanence are essential characteristics of green belt. Inappropriate development should not be approved there, except in very special circumstances.
	To give communities more power to protect other green areas of particular importance locally, we introduced the Local Green Space designation in the Framework. This enables the local authority to rule out new development there, other than in very special circumstances. Detailed guidance was issued on 6 March 2014.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many local authorities had taken part in the Gold Standard homelessness initiative as of 31 December 2013;
	(2)  how much of the Gold Standard homelessness initiative funding had been spent on staffing by 31 December 2013;
	(3)  how many people have been employed to work on the Gold Standard homelessness initiative; and where they are based;
	(4)  how much the National Housing Advice Service has spent on training to deliver the Homelessness Gold Standard; and how many councils had trained staff as of 31 December 2013.

Kris Hopkins: We have invested £1.7 million into the Homelessness Gold Standard to help local authorities to deliver effective and cost-efficient homelessness prevention services. The scheme is delivered by the National Practitioner Support Service, a team of local authority practitioners based in Winchester city council, with technical support and training provided by the National Homelessness Advice Service (Shelter).
	Information provided by the National Practitioner Support Service and held by the Department indicates that 314 local authorities had engaged with the Gold Standard process by the end of December 2013.
	The National Practitioner Support service is a local authority-led service hosted by Winchester city council and not directly managed by the Department. Funding to support the service was provided to Winchester city council through an unring-fenced grant under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. The Department remains in close contact with the National Practitioner Support Service and receives regular progress updates, but responsibility for staff numbers and spend remains with Winchester city council.
	The National Homelessness Advice Service (Shelter) is a voluntary sector organisation funded through section 180 of the Housing Act 1996. We monitor this funding under conditions included in their grant agreement.
	The National Homelessness Advice Service employs 1.04 full-time equivalent staff members based in the east midlands and London, to deliver its elements of the Gold Standard Programme. It had spent £59,653 on staff by the end of December 2013.
	By the end of December 2013, 273 local authorities had participated in Gold Standard training delivered by the National Homelessness Advice Service at a cost of £180,620.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) change and (b) percentage change in homelessness (i) applications and (ii) admissions was in each (A) London local authority area and (B) English region between March 2010 and December 2013.

Kris Hopkins: A direct comparison cannot be made between different quarters due to seasonal affects. However, financial year statistics for decisions taken on homelessness applications and acceptances, by county and local authority area, are published in live table 784, which is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
	The most recent quarter's data (October to December 2013) on homelessness applications and acceptances, by county and local authority area, are published in live table 784a and are available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
	Data are collected only at local authority district level and are not available by parliamentary constituency. As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region. Local authority figures from which regional estimates can be calculated can be found at the above link.
	This Government have invested £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own. Homelessness acceptances have decreased 5% nationally compared with the same quarter last year (13,890 this quarter down from 13,570 in quarter 4 in 2012).
	Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the previous Administration.

Local Government: Public Appointments

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements he has made for the representation of minority political parties on the leadership boards of combined authorities.

Brandon Lewis: The Government's policy on establishing combined authorities is one of localism, and a combined authority's membership and governance arrangements to be provided for in the Order establishing the authority are those which the constituent councils have agreed. The Combined Authority Orders recently laid before Parliament make provision for the councils concerned to decide whom of their members are to be members of the combined authority, and that combined authority is required to appoint one or more overview and scrutiny committees with members appointed from the councils concerned—providing, where this is wanted locally, for minority political parties to be involved in holding the combined authority to account.

Mobile Homes

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to bring forward regulations under the Mobile Homes Act 2013 regarding fees payable to a local authority.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 16 January 2014
	The Mobile Homes Act 2013 provides councils with new powers to protect park home residents from rogue site owners in their areas. From 1 April councils in England will be able to require owners to carry out works where owners are in breach of site licensing conditions. This will ensure sites are properly maintained and the health and safety of residents better protected. Those owners who comply with their licensing obligations, providing a high quality service to the residents, will be able to carry on their business unaffected by these new enforcement powers. But where unscrupulous site owners refuse to clean up their act, they will face court action and substantial fines for their poor performance.
	Councils will be able to charge an annual fee to site owners for the important work of monitoring licence compliance and investigating complaints. There are no plans to bring forward regulations concerning fees payable to local authorities, but those which propose to charge fees must do so in accordance with their published fee policy. The Department has published Guidance for local authorities in setting reasonable and transparent fees. This is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-homes-act-2013-a-guide-for-local-authorities-on-setting-licence-fees

Planning Permission: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to revoke planning permission granted on appeal, reference 07/00027/DECISI at Longford, Gloucestershire on the grounds of flood risk.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 10 March 2014
	If my hon. Friend wishes to make a formal representation, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), will consider it with due process.
	Notwithstanding, as reflected in my answer to him of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 742W, the policy in the exercise of the power to revoke an existing planning permission has been that such intervention can only be justified in exceptional circumstances.

Road Signs and Markings

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on permitting motorists to stop for up to 15 minutes on double yellow lines; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers receive a wide range of representations on their policy portfolios. In the case of parking, the Government recently issued a consultation that raised the issue of grace periods. The consultation closed on 14 February 2014. We received over 800 responses to the consultation which we are in the process of considering and will publish a summary of responses in due course.

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many rough sleepers there were in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 20 January 2014, Official Report, columns 62-63W.
	Rough sleeping figures by London borough can be found in the accompanying tables to the annual Rough Sleeping publications which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics#rough-sleeping
	Figures before 2010 are neither comparative nor accurate, due to fundamental flaws in the count methodology.
	However, those previous figures for 2008 and 2009 are accessible from:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7388/1648099.xls

Social Rented Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of single adults who have applied for social housing in (a) England and (b) the London borough of Havering since May 2010.

Kris Hopkins: This information is not collected centrally.

Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities in England and Wales use higher-rate telephone numbers for public inquiries.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not centrally held.
	However we would expect local authorities to follow the spirit of the recent HM Government guidance on customer services lines.
	At the very least, there should be no reason why local authorities cannot simply list a local telephone number as one of the options to call, or else a low-cost national number such as an 030 number.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to discourage the setting up of illegal Traveller caravan sites and associated anti-social behaviour.

Brandon Lewis: The Government are concerned about the cost and disruption that can be caused by unauthorised traveller encampments. That is why on 9 August 2013 we sent all council leaders in England updated guidance, setting out the strong powers councils and landowners have to remove illegal and unauthorised sites on both public and private land and reminding them to act swiftly.
	In addition, in the Localism Act 2011 we introduced provisions in England to allow for an appeal against enforcement or a retrospective planning application, not both. And in 2013, we removed a previous restriction on the use of Temporary Stop Notices that prevented local authorities in England taking enforcement action against a caravan used as a main residence.

Wind Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many onshore wind farm applications and how much onshore wind capacity have been recovered by the Secretary of State in each month in 2013; and how many such applications and capacity had previously received consent from the Planning Inspectorate.

Kris Hopkins: A total of 29 onshore wind farm appeals were recovered in 2013 (one in March, 10 in June, 17 in October and one in December). My Department does not centrally hold information on the energy capacity of schemes; 21 appeals involved three or more wind turbines; eight involved a single turbine.
	A recovered appeal is determined by Ministers, so none of these individual appeals had previously received planning consent from the Planning Inspectorate.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions she has used powers under the Royal Prerogative to prevent people suspected of terrorism from travelling abroad in the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 3 February 2014
	In April last year the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), in a written statement to the House, revised the public interest criteria under which the Royal Prerogative would be used to remove passports from British nationals. This has significantly enhanced our ability to disrupt those who want to travel abroad to take part in terrorism related activity. The power has been used on 14 occasions since April 2013.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) her Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of her Department in the current financial year.

Karen Bradley: No empty property business rates are levied for freehold vacant properties owned by the Department, its executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies.

Hilda Murrell

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will open an inquiry into the death of Hilda Murrell in 1984;
	(2)  what (a) Cabinet papers and (b) papers of her Department relating to the Hilda Murrell case will be released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the 30th anniversary of Hilda Murrell's abduction and murder;
	(3)  if she will publish her Department's briefing for the then Minister of State, Giles Shaw, for the adjournment debate on 19 December 1984.

Damian Green: The Government have no plans to open an inquiry into the death of Hilda Murrell.
	Any files held by the Government on the case will be considered for release within the requirements and timescales set out in the Public Records Act.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 738W, on human trafficking: Victim Support Schemes, how many Government victim care contract specialist support providers are employed by (a) the Government, (b) local authorities, (c) quasi-automomous non-governmental organisations (NGOs), (d) shelter NGOs, (e) charities and (f) voluntary organisations.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 13 March 2014
	A total of 11 victim care contract specialist support provider organisations are contracted under the Government victim care contract. They are all charities, voluntary organisations and non-governmental organisations.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police staff in each police area in England and Wales have received training in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Damian Green: The College of Policing training package on stalking has been completed 48,897 times between October 2012 and 28 February 2014.
	The Home Office does not hold information which splits this figure for each police area in England and Wales.

Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government victim care contract specialist support providers work (a) full and (b) part-time.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 13 March 2014
	There are currently 41 full-time and 37 part-time specialist support providers working for the Salvation Army subcontractors delivering the Government's victim care contract. These numbers exclude administrative, managerial and bank staff.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any vacant property. However the following non-departmental public bodies of DECC hold vacant properties:
	
		
			 NDBP Vacant property Business rates for FY 2013-14 (£) 
			 Coal Authority Fifth Avenue Business Park, Gateshead, NE11 9NE 25,434.00 
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Southmoor House, Manchester, M23 9LL 154,252.50

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 391, on energy prices, how many new (a) electricity and (b) gas suppliers have entered the (i) domestic and (ii) non-domestic energy markets in each year between 1996 and 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold the information requested.
	Ofgem has provided the following information on the number of new entrant gas and electricity supply companies in the GB domestic markets between 1996 and 2013. The chief executive of Ofgem will write to the right hon. Member directly with the equivalent data for non-domestic suppliers, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	
		
			 Domestic 
			  Gas Electricity 
			 1996 3 1 
			 1997 — — 
			 1998 3 1 
			 1999 3 3 
			 2000 1 — 
			 2001 — — 
			 2002 — — 
			 2003 4 4 
			 2004 — — 
			 2005 — — 
			 2006 1 1 
			 2007 1 1 
			 2008 1 1 
			 2009 1 1 
			 2010 — — 
			 2011 1 1 
			 2012 5 4 
			 2013 3 2

Energy: Competition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 519W, on energy competition, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's assessment of the effects of the introduction of a ring-fence between the generation and retail arms of vertically integrated energy companies.

Michael Fallon: I have arranged for this to be placed in the House Library.
	My letter to the right hon. Member of 27 February (also to be placed in the House Library) explained that this analysis was undertaken in the context of informing discussion with Ofgem on its proposals to reform wholesale electricity market liquidity. It does not include a detailed cost benefit analysis of ring-fencing.

Fuel Poverty: Northern Ireland

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: Officials in the Department liaise regularly with the Department for Social Development on a range of fuel poverty related issues.

Geoengineering

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what solar geo-engineering his Department (a) has conducted, (b) has permitted and (c) is aware of in the airspace above Britain.

Gregory Barker: No “solar geo-engineering”, usually referred to as solar radiation management (SRM), and which could include spraying to reflect sunlight or modifying clouds, has been conducted or permitted by the Department, in the airspace above the United Kingdom. Neither are we aware of any such activity being carried out by any other Government Department or indeed anyone else. The UK Government position on geo-engineering can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/120688/Government_view_on_geo-engineering_research.pdf

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger) of 16 October 2014, Official Report, column 754W, on the Green Deal scheme, to what the remainder of the funding allocated to the Green Deal in November 2011 which has not yet been spent has been allocated.

Gregory Barker: Of the £200 million announced in November 2011, £30 million was allocated to 2012-13 and £170 million to 2013-14. As of the end of January 2014, £55.2 million had been spent by DECC, £28.9 million in 2012-13 and £26.3 million in 2013-14 (including £21.75 million transferred to Scotland and Wales under the Barnett Consequential Settlement). We have also allocated up to £80 million to the Green Deal Communities scheme in 2013-14 and announced the first 6 bids. We have also announced increases in the value of our cashback incentives on 18 February 2014 with applications to be accepted up to 30 June 2014.

Offshore Oil and Gas in the UK Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which recommendations of the Maitland Review he has not implemented due to an alternative approach being adopted; and what the alternative approach is in each such case.

Michael Fallon: Full details of the recommendations from the Maitland Review which have not been implemented are detailed in either the formal government response to the Maitland Review, which was published in December 2012 or the update to the formal government response, which was published on 13 December 2013. Both responses can be found on the following web-links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/84191/Offshore_ Oil_and_Gas_in_the_UK_Maitland_Response_Final.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265799/update_government _response_independent_review_regulatory_regime.pdf

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

Gregory Barker: Trade union representatives have a statutory right to reasonable unpaid time off to undertake trade union activities. Line managers must satisfy themselves as to what is reasonable to allow. DECC does not hold information on unpaid time to undertake activities centrally.
	DECC implemented the new Cabinet Office facility time framework in June 2013. This includes an exception process for requests for paid time off to undertake activities where the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), must agree to the request. No requests for paid time off to undertake trade union activities have been made since this date. DECC does not hold information on paid time to undertake activities before this date.
	A standardised set of information monitoring and reporting on the use of facility time is submitted to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department plans to consult on changes to the Warm Home Discount for the period from 2015-16.

Gregory Barker: We plan to consult on changes to the Warm Home Discount for 2015-16 in spring this year.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many families with children receive the Warm Home Discount.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount provides direct financial support to low income households including families with children, pensioners and those with disabilities and long term illnesses. In winter 2012-13, over 500,000 households in this group received direct rebates of £130 off their electricity bills from their suppliers.
	In 2013-14 we expect even more low income and vulnerable households to have received £135 off their bills.
	However, we not have data on how many families with children receive a Warm Home Discount.

Wind Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much onshore wind capacity (a) received planning approval and (b) was rejected in each month in 2013; and how many planning applications for onshore wind farms were (i) approved and (ii) rejected in each such month.

Gregory Barker: The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) tracks the progress of all projects over 0.01 MW from submission of a planning application through to determination and generation:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	Historical data for planning approvals and refusals change from one month to the next owing to time taken for planning information to be published and the difficulty in locating each individual piece of planning data.
	As at the end of January 2014, the REPD shows (for onshore wind installations):
	
		
			  Approved Refused 
			  Number of applications Capacity (MW) Number of applications Capacity (MW) 
			 January 2013 30 69 17 136 
			 February 2013 33 493 15 108 
			 March 2013 35 221 20 91 
			 April 2013 43 380 21 63 
			 May 2013 31 34 26 78 
			 June 2013 38 51 21 321 
			 July 2013 34 42 24 35 
			 August 2013 27 33 20 69 
			 September 2013 28 65 28 265 
			 October 2013 20 76 22 69 
			 November 2013 38 27 29 83 
			 December 2013 32 114 22 35 
			 Total 389 1,605 265 1,353

SCOTLAND

Dounreay

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he was first informed about the increased levels of radioactivity in the cooling waters in the reactor at the Vulcan Nuclear Reactor Test Establishment.

Alistair Carmichael: I was informed of the decision to refuel HMS Vanguard, including the background on the prototype core at Dounreay in February 2014 ahead of the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announcement to the House on 6 March 2014. The Scotland Office and my predecessor was first notified in September 2012. With no safety or environmental risk in Scotland, there is no reason why the Scotland Office should have been notified at an earlier stage.
	As recognised by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, this occurrence was classed Level 0 (below scale—no safety significance) on the International Atomic Energy Agency scale. As made clear in the Defence Secretary's statement to the House on 6 March 2014, Level 0 events are not routinely made public and are not routinely reported in either the civil or military nuclear sectors.

Income Tax

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss income tax in Scotland.

Alistair Carmichael: I have regular meetings with cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), where a wide range of economic topics are discussed.
	The Government recognise that times are tough for families and that is why we have taken continued action to help with the cost of living.
	In the Budget 2013, we increased the personal allowance further, bringing it to £10,000 in 2014-15. This will benefit 2.2 million taxpayers in Scotland and will lift 224,000 Scots out of income tax altogether.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how Scottish soldiers and their families posted on accompanied tours elsewhere in the UK can register to vote in the Scottish Referendum.

David Mundell: There are a number of ways in which service personnel and their families can register to vote; many Scottish servicemen and servicewomen who are posted outside Scotland will remain entitled to be registered at an address in Scotland, either because they are resident there or because they have a service declaration for such an address.
	In order to ensure that service personnel who are eligible to vote in the referendum are aware of it, the Scotland Office has been working closely with counterparts in the Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office, together with the Electoral Commission to raise awareness of voting registration procedures amongst service personnel. This awareness raising includes referendum specific activity and the annual campaign to promote service voter registration.
	The Ministry of Defence has issued Defence Instructions and Notices (DINs) relating to the referendum and electoral registration processes to all units, including those based outside of Scotland, whether within other parts of the UK, or overseas, to ensure all those who are eligible to vote are aware of how and when to do so. In addition, unit registration officers are expected to hold service registration days at all units.
	However, registration remains a personal matter for all service personnel and it is for individual service personnel to decide where and how they register to vote.

Trussell Trust

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet representatives of the Trussell Trust in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) and I meet regularly with representatives from charitable and third sector organisations across Scotland and will continue to engage with these sectors over the coming months.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Education

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent officials in her Department have responsibility for helping developing countries improve education systems.

Justine Greening: DFID has a total of 40 full-time and two part-time education advisers, as well as a wide range of staff across the Department, including policy, financial, corporate and press advisers and staff in country offices, who also work on education.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time officials in her Department have responsibility for helping developing countries improve their healthcare systems.

Justine Greening: There are 55 Specialist Health Advisers in DFID, as well as a wide range of staff across the Department, including policy, financial, corporate and press advisers and staff in country offices, who also work on health.

Developing Countries: Tax Collection

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent officials in her Department have responsibility for helping developing countries improve their tax collection systems.

Justine Greening: There are four full-time equivalent members of staff based in the UK working specifically on tax, as well as a wide range of staff across the Department, including policy, financial, corporate and press advisers and staff in country offices, who also work on tax. This does not include HMRC staff providing tax capacity technical assistance in DFID partner countries.

Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds her Department has made available to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda in each year from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID provides funding through the Democratic Governance Facility to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU). The support began in 2011-12 and focuses on peace and security. The amounts attributed to DFID are £27,000 in 2011-12, £46,000 in 2012-13 and an estimated £36,000 in 2013-14.

Ukraine

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to what use has past UK aid to Ukraine been put.

Justine Greening: The DFID programme to Ukraine began in 1991 and was closed in March 2008. The programme supported the building of state institutional capacity, democratic processes, improved livelihood opportunities.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to monitor the effect of recent restrictions on Access to Work funding for communication support for deaf and deafblind people;
	(2)  for what reason his Department has changed the requirements for access to funding through Access to Work for communication support for deaf and deafblind people; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: We continually monitor the impact of our policies and processes by liaising with and requesting feedback from our customers and a range of stakeholder organisations.
	The current process is being taken in respect of requests for funding from all customers needing assistance of this type and extent to ensure that programme funds are being managed equitably and consistently to assist with the work needs of the maximum possible number of disabled people.

Employment Schemes: Mental Illness

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to help people with mental illnesses find appropriate work.

Michael Penning: Each Jobcentre Plus District is resourced to have a ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership Manager’, they identify the availability of local support that advisers may refer to and provide a support role to advisers who work with customers with mental health conditions.
	In January 2014 we launched the ‘Employment and Wellbeing toolkit’ which offers practical support to Jobcentre advisers to help them work with claimants affected by mental health problems. The toolkit enables advisers to establish a clear employment focus and identify appropriate interventions and actions which enable claimants with mental health issues to progress into employment as quickly as possible.
	Disability employment advisers (DEAs) and work psychologists also offer specialist advice in Jobcentres. DEAs can act as an advocate for the customer with prospective employers, aiming to identify work solutions that will overcome or minimise any difficulties related to an individual's disability in the work place, and work psychologists can provide advice and guidance on effective provision and complete an employment assessment for claimants.
	Many benefit claimants with mental health problems will be referred to, or may have access to, a range of support including the Work programme or specialist disability employment programmes including Work Choice and Access to Work.
	Work programme advisers have access to the Working for Wellbeing toolkit which was developed by an expert group of Work programme and specialist providers to improve employment outcomes for claimants who have mental health problems.
	Work Choice is a programme for disabled people with more intensive support and can provide specialist support for people with mental health conditions.
	Access to Work includes a specific mental health support service for people who require support while in work to help them to stay in work. 90% of the people who have been on the MHSS programme for six months (though not always needing six months of support) are still in work. Employer engagement is a key element of the service.

Employment: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been signed off work in the UK as a result of having obsessive compulsive disorder.

Michael Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on the number of people taking sickness absence from work as a result of having obsessive compulsive disorder.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Michael Penning: The Department does not own any buildings. The DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a 20 year PFI contract known as “PRIME” in 1998.
	Any properties that become surplus to DWP's requirements are returned to Telereal Trillium under the PRIME contract.
	The Health and Safety Executive estimate that the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database in the current financial year is £40,143.33. However, this relates to Douglas House in Edinburgh which, strictly speaking, is not empty. There are other occupants in the property but HSE's space held on e-PIMS is shown as vacant to attract potential tenants. As a result, the e-PIMS entry will make Douglas House appear empty.

Housing Benefit: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on housing benefit for tenants in (a) council property, (b) housing association and registered social landlord property and (c) private sector housing in (i) Tameside and (ii) Stockport in each year since 2009.

Steve Webb: The information is in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Housing benefit spending in Tameside by accommodation type 
			 £ million, nominal 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Local authority accommodation 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Temporary accommodation 0.8 0.8 1.9 1.9 
			 Registered social landlord 52.5 54.6 55.8 59.2 
			 Private rented sector 22.5 27.0 30.0 29.8 
			 Total housing benefit spend 75.8 82.4 87.7 90.9 
			 Source: Local authority statistical data and subsidy returns. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Housing benefit spending in Stockport by accommodation type 
			 £ million, nominal 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Local authority accommodation 23.5 24.2 26.3 28.5 
			 Temporary accommodation 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 
			 Registered social landlord 14.8 15.6 16.5 17.7 
			 Private rented sector 25.3 29.2 31.0 31.6 
			 Total housing benefit spend 64.2 69.7 74.6 78.6 
			 Notes: 1. Figures may not sum exactly due to rounding. 2. Expenditure is shown for complete financial years. A breakdown of benefit expenditure for housing benefit can be found in the housing benefit and council tax benefit expenditure by local authority tables as per the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277439/hb-ctb-la-tables-04022014.xls Source: Local authority statistical data and subsidy returns.

Independent Living Fund: Darlington

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Darlington constituency currently receive independent living fund payments.

Michael Penning: The Independent Living Fund records data by post code or local authority rather than by constituency and therefore does not hold the information in the format requested. As at 13 March 2014 there are 63 ILF recipients in the area covered by Darlington borough council.
	The ILF publishes data by local authority quarterly on its website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ilf/publications/corporate-publications/statistics/index.shtml

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Disqualification

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Scotland have (a) received a sanction and (b) received a sanction and disputed it in each of the last five years; and how many such claimants had a sanction overturned as a result of it being reconsidered or appealed in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Information on the number of sanctions received by individuals in Scotland is published and available at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
	Information requested for those whose sanction has been overturned is not currently available.
	DWP statisticians identified a data issue in the JSA sanctions appeal outcomes data. In line with normal practice for official statistics, the Department has withdrawn this particular set of information. The data will be made available again as soon as possible pending investigations by DWP statisticians who will, if necessary, make corrections to this data.
	For further information see here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to the email correspondence from the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish dated 10 January 2014 (reference 7648/Jan14) on Atos Healthcare.

Michael Penning: I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 March. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to introduce statutory time limits on claims for personal independence payments.

Michael Penning: In line with other benefits, there are no statutory time limits on processing times to claims for personal independence payment (PIP) and we have no plans to change that position.
	We are taking the necessary action to improve the processing times, including working with the providers.

Poverty

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 715W, on child poverty, what estimate his Department has made of the effect of (a) the new timetable for the implementation of universal credit and (b) changes to work allowances on the level of relative income poverty among (i) children and (ii) adults.

Esther McVey: After full roll-out, the Department's latest analysis suggests that universal credit will reduce the number of individuals in relative income poverty by some 600,000; including up to 300,000 children and up to 350,000 adults (numbers do not sum due to rounding).
	This figure does not take into account the expected increase in numbers of people in work as a result of universal credit, and excludes the impact of the minimum income floor for the self-employed which is designed to encourage those affected to improve their income levels and for which the behavioural response is very difficult to model.
	This estimate is not affected by the timetable for the implementation of universal credit, and changes to the policy on uprating of work allowances make negligible difference to the impact of universal credit on child or adult poverty as measured by relative income.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to penalise those who fail to attend scheduled meetings at jobcentres.

Esther McVey: Where a person is required to attend an interview as part of their obligations as a benefit claimant, and subsequently fails to attend that interview, a sanction will be applied to their benefit unless they can show good reason/cause for their failure.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many migrants from non-EU countries claim benefit payments.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available in the form requested, however the Department has published some statistics on working age benefit recipients. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK—registrations to March 2013, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nino-allocations-to-adult-overseas-nationals-entering-the-uk-registrations-to-march-2013

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women were (i) investigated, (ii) given an administrative penalty, (iii) given a caution and (iv) convicted in court for benefit fraud in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: The data requested are not collated in gender format. The following table represents the total numbers of investigations and outcomes following a benefit fraud investigation by the Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) in the last five years where available.
	
		
			 Outcomes following a benefit fraud investigation by DWP 
			 Fiscal year Investigations closed Administrative penalties Cautions Convictions 
			 2008-09 128,513 7,160 14,320 6,700 
			 2009-10 150,146 7,249 15,117 7,040 
			 2010-11 154,819 7,625 15,574 8,598 
			 2011-12 165,387 7,364 15,939 9,861 
			 2012-13 130,853 3,863 2,906 n/a 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	Following a merger of DWP Prosecution Division with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in April 2012, conviction data for benefit fraud offences in England and Wales for 2012-13 are within ownership of CPS, and in Scotland the Procurator Fiscal. DWP data available for this period are not comparable to the data formatted and published by Prosecution Division in each year shown and if published could show a distorted view.
	The decline in the lesser penalties is due to DWP operational strategy to investigate in the most serious of cases, uncover the whole extent of the fraud and to prosecute wherever possible. The strategic approach to investigate in the most serious of cases and direct resources to the sternest penalty outcome of prosecution underpins the Department's fraud and error principles to Prevent, Detect, Correct, Punish and Deter.

Social Security Benefits: Married People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to prevent married couples from fraudulently claiming council and housing tax-related benefit available only for single people.

Steve Webb: There are no social security benefits relating to housing costs or council tax that are available only to single people. There is a reduction of 25% in the council tax payable available to those who live alone, but the administration of this is a matter for local authorities.
	Generally, suspicions that claimants may be living together as if they were married or in a civil partnership without informing the relevant benefit payer come from various sources, including members of the public and members of staff. The Department currently does not investigate cases that only involve housing benefit as these are a matter for local authorities.
	Council tax benefit ceased to exist on 1 April 2013 and has been replaced by the local council tax reduction (LCTR) scheme, the administration of which is a matter for local authorities.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on the time taken to receive universal credit of a claimant (a) moving to live in an area where universal credit is not being piloted, (b) forming a new relationship and being re-classified as part of a couple and (c) having a child.

Esther McVey: No estimate of this has been made. Providing the claimant reports all details of the change promptly, payment of universal credit would continue without any delay.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2012, Official Report, column 1032W, on work programme, when he expects to publish the independent evaluation of the Work Programme.

Esther McVey: The Department will publish findings once the independent evaluation of the Work programme is complete.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people referred by Jobcentre Plus to the Work programme in each month since June 2011 failed to start on the programme.

Esther McVey: The information we have on the number of Work programme referrals, since June 2011, who failed to start on the programme can be found in table 2.6 of the Work Programme Statistical Summary through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-programme-statistical-summary-december-2013

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the operation of the Work programme in rural areas.

Esther McVey: The independent evaluation of the Work programme includes providers and participants in a range of geographical areas. The Department will publish findings once the evaluation is complete.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from (a) providers and (b) customers on the effectiveness of the Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: I meet regularly with both providers and claimants and receive regular feedback from both on how well the Work programme is performing.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he received the Work Programme Evaluation: Interim meta-report; what his plans are for its publication; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Draft findings from the phase of the evaluation covered by the interim report were received by the Department in August 2013. The Department will publish findings once the independent evaluation of the Work programme is complete.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, which local authority databases may be consulted by local authority electoral registration officers for the purpose of data matching for the electoral register.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are entitled to access any records kept in any form by the local authority which appointed them, for the purpose of meeting their registration duties. These records may include, for example, council tax, social services and education records. Access to these records serves a dual purpose: to identify potential new electors and to check that registered electors continue to be eligible to be registered.
	As direct access to records is limited to records held by the appointing authority, in those parts of England where there are two tiers of local government, EROs are currently unable to directly access county council records (such as education records). The Commission understands that the Government are planning to legislate to enable records held by county councils to be shared with EROs for the purposes of maintaining and improving the accuracy and completeness of electoral registers.

Electoral Register: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in Birmingham, Northfield constituency.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	The ward results for the area requested are as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Kings Norton 80.7 2.5 16.8 
			 Longbridge 80.2 2.1 17.7 
			 Northfield 81.5 2.3 16.2 
			 Weoley 80.0 2.6 17.5 
		
	
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission's website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/_data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls

Electoral Register: Newcastle upon Tyne

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in the Newcastle City Council area.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	The ward results for Newcastle city council are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Benwell and Scotswood 80.8 1.8 17.3 
			 Blakelaw 81.3 1.9 16.9 
			 Byker 75.8 2.2 22.0 
			 Castle 82.5 1.5 16.0 
			 Dene 80.5 1.1 18.4 
			 Denton 87.1 0.8 12.1 
			 East Gosforth 73.5 1.4 25.1 
			 Elswick 68.3 4.0 27.7 
			 Fawdon 82.7 1.3 15.9 
			 Fenham 79.8 1.7 18.5 
			 Kenton 80.6 1.6 17.8 
			 Lemington 84.3 1.0 14.7 
			 Newburn 84.6 1.3 14.1 
			 North Heaton 78.1 1.5 20.4 
			 North Jesmond 33.9 3.3 62.8 
			 Ouseburn 33.4 2.5 64.1 
			 Parklands 81.8 1.3 16.9 
			 South Heaton 52.0 2.6 45.4 
			 South Jesmond 33.8 4.6 61.6 
			 Walker 82.9 1.8 15.3 
			 Walkergate 84.6 1.3 14.2 
			 WestGosforth 78.9 1.8 19.2 
			 Westerhope 89.0 0.7 10.3 
			 Westgate 47.6 3.6 48.8 
			 Wingrove 51.3 3.3 45.4 
			 Woolsington 82.4 1.7 15.9 
		
	
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission's website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls

Electoral Register: South Yorkshire

Caroline Flint: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and (b) Don Valley constituency.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	The ward results for Doncaster metropolitan borough Council are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Adwick 83.7 1.8 14.5 
			 Armthorpe 81.7 1.1 17.2 
			 Askern Spa 833 1.9 14.7 
			 Balby 80.1 1.6 18.3 
			 Bentley 80.3 2.2 17.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Bessacarr and Cantley 81.3 1.5 17.3 
			 Central 72.4 2.7 25.0 
			 Conisbrough and Denaby 83.2 1.6 15.2 
			 Edenthorpe, Kirksandall and Barnby Dun 86.3 1.0 12.7 
			 Edlington and Warmsworth 84.1 1.2 14.6 
			 Finningley 85.5 1.6 12.9 
			 Great North Road 85.0 1.2 13.8 
			 Hatfield 83.4 1.7 15.0 
			 Mexborough 80.6 1.7 17.6 
			 Rossington 84.2 1.1 14.7 
			 Sprotbrough 84.3 1.7 14.0 
			 Stainforth and Moorends 80.4 2.1 17.4 
			 Thorne 82.8 1.9 15.3 
			 Torne Valley 83.2 2.1 14.7 
			 Town Moor 81.7 1.8 16.5 
			 Wheatley 75.0 2.7 22.3 
		
	
	The ward results for the Don Valley constituency are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Conisbrough and Denaby 83.2 1.6 15.2 
			 Edlington and Warmsworth 84.1 1.2 14.6 
			 Finningley 85.5 1.6 12.9 
			 Hatfield 83.4 1.7 15.0 
			 Rossington 84.2 1.1 14.7 
			 Thorne 82.8 1.9 15.3 
			 Torne Valley 83.2 2.1 14.7 
		
	
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission's website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average earnings of full-time employees in Denton and Reddish constituency were in April (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average earnings of full-time employees in Denton and Reddish constituency were in April (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. (192138)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
	The table shows estimates of median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in Denton and Reddish constituency from 2009 to 2013.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£) for full-time employeesa in Denton and Reddish constituency, April 2009 to 2013 
			 Year (April) Median gross weekly earnings (£) 
			 2009 *410.1 
			 2010 *387.2 
			 2011b,d *403.1 
			 2011c,d *399.2 
			 2012 *409.4 
			 2013 *390.3 
			 a Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures relate to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. b 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. c 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. d Estimates for years prior to 2011 are based on SOC 2000 and estimates for years after 2011 are based on SOC 2010. Figures are only considered to be directly comparable if they are based on the same SOC. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: * = CV > 5% and <= 10% Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Debts

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of personal debt was in (a) the UK, (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (c) Tameside Metropolitan Borough and (d) Denton and Reddish constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the level of personal debt was in (a) the UK, (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (c) Tameside Metropolitan Borough and (d) Denton and Reddish constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available. (192135)
	The Office for National Statistics publishes details of the financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) combined. These data are only available at the United Kingdom level and hence data are not available for Stockport Metropolitan Borough, Tameside Metropolitan Borough and Denton and Reddish constituency.
	The UK data are published in the UK Economic Accounts for Quarter 3 2013 published on 20th December 2013 which is available at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-economic-accounts/q3-2013/index.html
	The most recent analyses on debt can be found in table A64 of this publication.
	The most recent analyses on borrowing can be found in Tables A12 and A 55 of this publication.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the size of the electorate was (a) the year before and (b) two years after the coming into force of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the size of the electorate was (a) the year before and (b) two years after the coming into force of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (192116).
	The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 came into force on 16 February 2001. Electoral statistics showing the number of local government and parliamentary electors in England and Wales for the period 2000 to 2003 are provided in the table below.
	
		
			 Thousand 
			  Parliamentary electors Local government electors 
			 2000 — 39,540.4 
			 2001 39,532.0 39,872.0 
			 2002 39,404.7 39,764.8 
			 2003 39,192.5 39,573.6 
		
	
	These statistics are based on the annual electoral registers for 16 February 2000 and 1 December 2001, 2002 and 2003. ONS does not hold data for the number of parliamentary electors in 2000.

Unemployment: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged (a) 25 years and over and (b) 16 to 24 years old have been unemployed for more than a year in Brigg and Goole constituency since 2008.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged (a) 25 years and over and (b) 16 to 24 years old have been unemployed for more than a year in Brigg and Goole constituency since 2008. (191915)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age bands, durations and geographies are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons, (a) 25 years and over and (b) aged 16 to 24 years, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for more than a year in Brigg and Goole constituency since 2008. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number1 of people aged 16 to 24 years and 25 years and over, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for more than a year in Brigg and Goole Constituency since 2008 
			  Aged 16 to 24 years Aged 25 years and over 
			 January 2008 5 140 
			 January 2009 5 125 
			 January 2010 40 300 
			 January 2011 35 260 
			 January 2012 75 340 
			 January 2013 120 460 
			 January 2014 75 365 
			 1 Note data rounded to nearest 5.

Working Hours

Russell Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average weekly hours worked since the first quarter of 2008 to date.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate he has made of the total average weekly hours worked since the first quarter of 2008 to date. (191752)
	The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of average actual weekly hours worked by people in employment. The table shows estimates of the total average actual weekly hours worked for the whole economy and the average actual weekly hours worked per person from quarter 1 2008 to quarter 4 2013. Estimates are seasonally adjusted.
	
		
			 Total and average actual weekly hours worked January to March 2008 to October-December 2013 United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			  Total weekly hours (million) Average (mean) actual weekly hours worked per person 
			 January to March 2008 949.3 32.2 
			 April to June 2008 938.8 31.8 
			 July to September 2008 938.8 32.0 
			 October to December 2008 933.0 31.9 
			 January to March 2009 917.7 31.5 
			 April to June 2009 914.1 31.7 
			 July to September 2009 909.0 31.5 
			 October to December 2009 909.5 31.5 
			 January to March 20l0 908.3 31.6 
			 April to June 2010 915.9 31.7 
			 July to September 2010 920.7 31.6 
			 October to December 2010 924.6 31.8 
			 January to March 2011 924.8 31.7 
			 April to June 2011 914.1 31.3 
			 July to September 2011 921.5 31.7 
			 October to December 2011 923.4 31.7 
			 January to March 2012 930.1 31.8 
			 April to June 2012 934.7 31.7 
			 July to September 2012 945.3 32.0 
		
	
	
		
			 October to December 2012 947.8 31.9 
			 January to March 2013 950.3 32.0 
			 April to June 2013 953.1 32.0 
			 July to September 2013 962.7 32.1 
			 October to December 2013 966.8 32.1 
			 1 All in employment, main and second job. Source: Labour Force Survey (LPS)

PRIME MINISTER

Israel

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister whether the possibility of Israel (a) disarming its nuclear weapons capability and (b) joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was discussed with (i) his Israeli counterpart, (ii) other Israeli ministers and (iii) members of the Knesset during his visit to Israel on 12 and 13 March 2014.

David Cameron: I did not discuss this issue during my recent visit to Israel.
	The Government consistently call on Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state and to agree a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. We continue to support the objective of a middle east free from weapons of mass destruction and continue to encourage Israel to participate in discussions to that end.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register: Darlington

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent voter confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Darlington constituency and (b) the Borough of Darlington.

Greg Clark: The information can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-confirming-electors-through-data-matching

EDUCATION

Academies

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academy chains have been restricted (a) in full and (b) in part from sponsoring new academies or free schools; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The number of approved sponsors with open academies that have been restricted is reviewed regularly in the light of the latest assessment of performance. At 27 February 2014, 14 sponsors were restricted in full from sponsoring new academies or free schools out of a total of over 350 approved sponsors that currently support academies.
	They are:
	1. Academies Enterprise Trust (AET)
	2. Academy Transformation Trust (ATT)
	3. Barnfield Academies Trust
	4. City of Wolverhampton Academy Trust
	5. Djanogly Learning Trust
	6. E-ACT
	7. Grace Foundation
	8. Landau Foundation
	9. Lee Chapel Academy Trust
	10. Prospects Academies Trust
	11. South Nottingham College Academy Trust
	12.The Learning Schools Trust
	13. University of Chester Academies Trust (UCAT)
	14. West Hertfordshire Teaching Schools Partnership
	There are other sponsors that have decided to consolidate their growth, preferring to focus on improving the performance of their open academies. The Department does not record these centrally.
	This Government are tough on under-performance wherever it occurs—be it in council-run schools or in academy chains.
	The vast majority of academies and sponsors are performing well, with key stage 2 and GCSE results improving faster in academies than council-run schools.
	When we do have concerns about the performance of academy sponsors, we act quickly by stopping them from taking on new projects, so that they focus on their existing schools and ensure that pupils receive a good education. Only when sponsors have demonstrated this are they then able to take on new academies.

Academies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Academy Trusts (a) met the deadline to submit, (b) missed the deadline of 31 January 2014 for submitting and (c) are yet to submit their 2012-13 accounts return.

Edward Timpson: There are 2,172 Academy Trusts that were required to submit the completed accounts return to the Education Funding Agency (EFA) by 31 January 2014. Of these:
	2,006 (92.36%) met the deadline;
	166 (7.64%) missed the deadline; and
	As of 13 March, 69 (3.18%) are yet to submit their return.
	The EFA is currently contacting all Academy Trusts with outstanding accounts returns to ensure a complete set of returns.

Children in Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the use of virtual headteachers for children in care.

Edward Timpson: The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities in England to appoint at least one virtual school head. That person will be responsible for ensuring that the local authority carries out its duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of the children it looks after wherever they live. Statutory guidance to local authorities on that duty was published in March 2010. The Department for Education is currently working with a group of virtual school heads on updating this guidance to reflect the new statutory nature of the virtual school head role. We expect the revised guidance to be published in summer 2014.
	To support their role in managing the pupil premium plus arrangements for looked after children in 2014-15, we will shortly issue departmental advice to all virtual school heads. In addition, we are working closely with virtual school heads who represent their peers on a regional basis across England and who meet regularly as a national steering group.
	In 2013-14 we have also been working with an expert group of virtual school heads through the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). This work has included promoting the virtual school head on-line learning community hosted by NCTL and planning three on-line seminars to support the work of virtual school heads.

Children in Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many virtual headteachers there were (a) in total and (b) in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold historical information about the number of virtual school head teachers. The Department maintains a list of local authority officers who are currently performing the virtual school head role. This information is provided on a voluntary basis to the Department by each local authority.

Children in Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward legislative proposals to grant virtual headteachers statutory powers to intervene when a young person is facing exclusion from school.

Edward Timpson: The role of virtual school heads is to promote the educational achievement of looked after children. This includes working in partnership with the school's designated teacher for looked after children, the child and the child's carer as soon as problems begin so that everything possible can be done to avoid exclusion. Statutory exclusion guidance makes it very clear that head teachers should, as far as possible, avoid excluding permanently any looked after child1.
	The National College for Teaching and Leadership has been working with Bath Spa University and the virtual school head in Bath and North East Somerset to produce training materials on attachment and the implications for learning and behaviour.
	1 Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269681/Exclusion_from_maintained _schools__academies_and_pupil_referral_units.pdf

Children in Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department allocated for virtual headteachers in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: Between September 2007 and August 2009, the Department for Education funded virtual school head pilots in 11 local authorities. The total amount of funding was £792,000 in 2008-09 and £286,000 in 2009-10.
	Funding for children's services is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local authorities have the flexibility to make decisions about how this funding is allocated, including on carrying out their responsibilities to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after through the work of virtual school heads.
	We have provided £100,000 in 2013-14 to the National College for Teaching and Leadership to work with a group of virtual school heads to develop training materials prior to prepare for the role becoming statutory.

Children: Care Homes

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the average cost to the public purse of placing a severely disabled child in full-time residential care.

Edward Timpson: Information in the form requested is not held centrally.
	The Personal Social Services Research Unit at the university of Kent publishes an annual report which gives some information. Further details can be found at:
	http://www.pssru.ac.uk/project-pages/unit-costs/2013/

Free Schools

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools proposed to open in September 2014 have yet to secure a (a) permanent and (b) temporary site; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: We have already secured either permanent or temporary sites for 69 of the 92 (75%) free schools seeking to open in September 2014. For almost all of the remaining 23 schools we have identified and agreed preferred sites, and are in active negotiations to secure them.

Pre-school Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of pre-school education on attainment during school years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education commissioned research in 1997 to identify the long-term effect of pre-school education on attainment during school years. This has assessed the impact of pre-school education throughout primary and secondary school. The most recent results were published in 2012. ‘The Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) 3-14 Project: Final report from the KS3 stage-influences on students development from age 3-14’ is available on the Gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184087/DFE-RR202.pdf
	A copy will be placed in the Library. The research is currently being updated and results at key stage 4 will be published in July 2014.
	The Department has commissioned the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) which began in autumn 2013 to evaluate the effectiveness of the current early education model in England, and the impact of providing funded early years education to the 40% least advantaged two-year-olds. This new, large scale, longitudinal study (due to be completed in 2020) will evaluate children's pre-school experiences at the age of two, three and four, and how these impact on later attainment and social outcomes, tracking children to the end of key stage 1 (age 7). It will assess the extent to which Government investment in early-years education and childcare offers value for money. It will publish its initial baseline report in 2014, with the first reports on the impact of quality due in 2015 and 2016.

Pre-school Education: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children aged three or four in (a) England and (b) the London borough of Havering are in pre-school education.

Elizabeth Truss: 96% of three and four year-old children accessed funded early years education in England in January 2013. In the London borough of Havering, the figure was 101%. Percentages can exceed 100% because population estimates used in the calculation of the published figures are derived from mid-year estimates and projections provided by the Office for National Statistics. They are subject to a margin of error and should be considered to be approximations.
	Figures since 2009 are published in Table 1b of the document on the Department for Education's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/provision-for-children-under-5-years-of-age-in-england-january-2013

Pupils: Allergies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on the use of adrenaline shots in schools to treat children having an anaphylactic shock.

David Laws: We expect schools to put in place arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions, including what should happen in an emergency situation. Schools should work closely with relevant health and social care professionals, and with parents/carers to ensure that that these provisions are in place. Currently, there is non-statutory guidance available to schools, ‘Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings’, to help them manage medicines and support children with medical needs.
	From September 2014, there will be a new duty, (introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014), on governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance. The guidance will set out the requirements on schools to support children with medical conditions, which we would expect them to apply to conditions like anaphylaxis.

Religion: Education

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a higher proportion of religious education lessons are taught by fully qualified subject specialists.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not stipulate what qualifies as a fully qualified subject specialist for religious education (RE). It is for head teachers and governing bodies to decide whom they choose to employ and in what capacity.
	The Government are committed to ensuring sufficient supply of new teachers for schools. This year, we have over-allocated places for initial teacher training (ITT) in RE. RE is also supported by the National College for Teaching and Leadership's Teaching Line, which provides information and advice for anyone who wants to apply for ITT. In addition, officials have met the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) to identify further ways of supporting recruitment to RE ITT.

Religion: Education

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Ofsted report RE: Realising the Potential, published in October 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Religious education (RE) remains very important for pupils' understanding of the rich diversity of faiths and communities in the UK and their part in shaping the values and traditions of this country. Since the publication of Ofsted's report the Department for Education has announced that we are establishing a subject expert group for RE, chaired by David Francis from RE:ONLINE. By working with schools to clarify the key challenges for them, the group will help make sure that teachers have the support and resources to deliver high quality RE teaching.
	As part of reforms to non-EBacc subjects, Ofqual is considering how it could work with others to improve the content and rigour of the Religious Studies GCSE and A-level. Taken together, these represent significant steps towards improvements in the subject. In addition, we are working closely with the Religious Education Council (REC) in its efforts to improve the quality of teaching in the subject, in particular by highlighting best practice and helping teachers to strengthen their own approaches.

Sandymoor School

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 223W, on Sandymoor school, what funding will be allocated to Sandymoor Free School in the 2014-15 financial year.

Edward Timpson: The complete funding allocation for Sandymoor Free School for the 2014/15 academic year will be finalised by the end of March. Funding allocation data for all open academies and free schools will be published by the Education Funding Agency in the autumn.

Schools

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of the relative educational outcomes in Hull and Surrey local authority areas; and what assessment he has made of how the extra funding for schools announced on 13 March 2014 will address such differences.

David Laws: The Department for Education regularly publishes information on the educational outcomes of schools. The information is on the Department's website and can be found at the following address:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/
	Our aim is to move towards a fairer and more transparent funding system that supports better quality education across the country. The current funding system is unfair, out of date and little more than a postcode lottery. We will allocate £350 million to increase the per-pupil budgets of our least fairly funded local areas in 2015-16. This reform will mean that in 2015-16 every local area will attract a minimum level of funding for each of its pupils and schools, making the distribution of funding to local areas fairer while ensuring that no area receives a cut to its per-pupil budget.
	Currently, the local authority of Surrey receives £4,096 of funding per-pupil, the tenth lowest in the country. Under our proposals, this is likely to rise to around £4,282. The City of Kingston upon Hull local authority currently receives £4,719 of funding per-pupil. Under our proposals, this is not likely to change.

Secondary Education

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by which criteria the Education Funding Agency will prioritise the allocation of capital resources to secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: On 18 December, the Department for Education announced £2.35 billion additional funding to help local authorities to create the new school places that will be needed by September 2017. The Department uses the same methodology for allocating basic need funding for primary and secondary places. The allocations are based on the data provided by local authorities, and reflect the higher costs of providing a secondary school place. Basic need allocations are not ring-fenced, giving local authorities the freedom to decide how best to spend the funding to create primary or secondary places based on local need.
	The 2014-15 maintenance allocations for local authorities and schools announced on 24 January were calculated using pupil numbers from the January 2013 school census. The allocations include a weighting to reflect the higher maintenance costs of secondary schools. The Department is currently collecting up to date information on the condition of school buildings through a comprehensive survey, which is due to be completed this summer. It is our intention that the survey results will be used to inform the allocation of maintenance funding from 2015-16.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which contractors were awarded the contract by the National College for Teaching and Leadership for professional skills tests for initial teacher training entrants.

David Laws: There were no new contracts awarded by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) for the delivery of the professional skills test for initial teacher training entrants. The numeracy and literacy tests for prospective teachers were developed from 2009 onwards, under two contracts let by the Training and Development Agency for Schools, which this Government abolished.
	One contract with BTL Group Ltd was for test development and one contract with Pearson VUE was for test delivery. The Department is currently in the process of appointing a new contractor via the applicable Government Procurement framework agreement.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the professional skills test for initial teacher training entrants.

David Laws: The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has recently received representation from the Million + Group, a think-tank, in regard to the professional skills test for initial teacher training entrants and its potential impact on undergraduates. This representation was received prior to the ministerial statement issued by myself, on the scoring issues identified by the Standards and Testing Agency.
	There have been further representations by individuals in response to the reforms of the Professional Skills Tests for prospective teachers which came into effect from September 2012. Representations have been in regard to the limit on the number of resits allowed and the consequences of failing either of the literacy or numeracy tests for the third time. Candidates who fail either test for the third time are unable to take the test for 24 months from the date of the second resit.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the applicants of the contracts for the professional skills test for ITT entrants will be assessed; and how often Ministers have received reports relating to the quality or otherwise of the contractors.

David Laws: The Department for Education is in the process of appointing a new contractor via the applicable Government Procurement framework agreement.
	This Government's decision to bring the Training and Development Agency for Schools's functions within the Department has brought greater scrutiny, increased accountability and helped unearth the errors I explained to the House in my statement of 6 March 2014, Official Report, columns 52-3WS.

Teachers: Veterans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding has been allocated to the Troops to Teachers programme to date.

David Laws: As stated in the original tender documentation, the Department for Education has allocated up to £10 million to the Troops to Teachers programme over 24 months.

Teachers: Veterans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many service leavers (a) applied to and (b) were accepted on initial teacher training in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11, (iv) 2011-12, (v) 2012-13 and (vi) the current academic year to date.

David Laws: The Department for Education does not hold this information prior to March 2011.
	Between March 2011 and 10 April 2013, 322 service leavers applied to initial teacher training, of whom 132 were accepted.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

Elizabeth Truss: In May 2013 we implemented a new facility time agreement which saw the departmental trade union representatives' facility time reduced by 50% and the withdrawal of paid facility time for trade union activities.
	The following table provides records held on funding to carry out trade union duties and activities and number of days spent on these in each of the last three years:
	
		
			 Financial year Funding of staff (£) Days 
			 2010-11 210,000 — 
			 2011-12 220,000 396 
			 2012-13 178,546 658 
			 1 No records held 
		
	
	The Department for Education introduced robust monitoring of staffing costs for trade union duties in November 2012. Prior to this date, records were collated by trade union branch chairs.
	The rise in the number of days from 2011-12 and 2012-13 was due to the increase in work force numbers and office locations as a result of executive agencies becoming part of the Department for Education in April 2012. The figures for 2012 onwards are therefore not comparable with the figures for the previous years.

World War I: Anniversaries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet the Never Such Innocence campaign to discuss educational material relating to the commemoration of the First World War.

Elizabeth Truss: I have asked officials from my Department to meet the organisers of the ‘Never Such Innocence’ campaign.

HEALTH

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many ground E abortions for chromosomal abnormalities other than trisomies 21, 18 and 13 were diagnosed by (a) amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chronic villus sampling and (d) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were listed under heading (d), other; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in the same period;
	(2)  how many ground E abortions for trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) were diagnosed by (a) amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chronic villus sampling and (d) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were listed under heading (d); and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in the same period.

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided.

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the reasons for the differences in the statistics gathered by his Department and the Wolfson Institute on the number of abortions carried out in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 for (i) Down's syndrome, (ii) Edwards' syndrome and (iii) Patau syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Some analysis has been undertaken for 2011 and we are now repeating this for 2012, to compare the trends over time.

Abortion

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many diagnoses of trisomy 21 leading to a ground E abortion were diagnosed by (a) amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chorionic villus sampling and (d) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what those other methods of diagnosis were; and how many diagnoses of that condition, which did not result in abortion, were recorded in that period;
	(2)  how many diagnoses of trisomy 18 leading to a ground E abortion were diagnosed by (a) amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chorionic villus sampling and (d) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what those other methods of diagnosis were; and how many diagnoses of that condition, which did not result in abortion, were recorded in that period.

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standards of data collection are required of Clinical Commissioning Groups in respect of abortion services delivered in the independent sector.

Jane Ellison: Data requirements are for individual clinical commissioning groups to agree as part of the local commissioning process.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Salisbury of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 766W, on abortion, how many abortion notification forms which initially offered no information on the method of diagnosis for a ground E termination were returned to practitioners for completion following the decision to return incomplete forms in 2010; how many of those notification forms were subsequently returned completed; and how many such completed forms identified the method of diagnosis as (a)  amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chorionic villus sampling and (d) other.

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided.

Brain: Injuries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with medical authorities on the use of electrical current to treat brain injuries;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is on the use of electrical current as a medical treatment in the NHS.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions with medical authorities on the use of electrical current to treat brain injuries.
	There are a wide range of applications on the use of electricity as part of medical treatment in the national health service. Examples of these can include:
	deep brain stimulation in the treatment of some movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremor;
	using percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to treat difficult-to-treat neuropathic pain; and
	irreversible electroporation for the treatment of liver, pancreatic, renal, and lung cancers.
	It is the responsibility of a treating clinician to use their clinical judgement, supported by relevant guidance/when discussing appropriate treatments with their patient, taking into account safety, and clinical and cost effectiveness.

Brain: Medical Treatments

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department offers to patients requiring deep brain stimulation treatment, in cases where extra funding is required.

Norman Lamb: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat a wide range of conditions. For movement disorders (Parkinson's Disease, dystonia and tremor), DBS provides significant therapeutic benefits. In April 2013, NHS England published the commissioning policy, “Clinical Commissioning Policy: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in Movement Disorders” This document sets out the criteria that need to be met for a patient with one of these three disorders to receive treatment at a centre in the United Kingdom, funded by NHS England. A copy of the policy can be found at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/d03-p-b.pdf
	For other conditions, there are significant gaps in the evidence and questions that need to be addressed by further research. In April 2013, NHS England published the policy statement, “Clinical Commissioning Policy Statement: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Indications Except Movement Disorders”. This sets out the commissioning position that the level of evidence does not support routine funding of DBS on the basis of clinical effectiveness for coma, depression, pain and Tourette's Syndrome. A copy of the policy statement can be found at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/d03-ps-b.pdf
	On behalf of their patients, clinicians are able to make an individual funding request (IFR) to NHS England for specialised treatment that is not routinely commissioned by NHS England. In making such an application for funding, they must make a case of clinical exceptionality. This must demonstrate that the patient is significantly clinically different to, and likely to gain more clinical benefits than, patients with a condition and at a stage of progression for which the treatment is not routinely available.
	Further information about the procedures followed for managing IFR applications is available on NHS England's website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-03.pdf

Breast Cancer

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report by Breast Cancer Campaign entitled Finding the cures, improving the care, published on 11 March 2014, what assessment he has made of claims in that report that patients are being failed by insensitive NHS doctors and nurses.

Jane Ellison: The Breast Cancer Campaign report, ‘Finding the cures, improving the care’, seeks to use the results of the 2011-12 and 2013 National Cancer Patient Experience Surveys (NCPES), as well as other data sources, to assess how well trusts are meeting certain aspects of the Breast Cancer Quality Standard, published by the National institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2011.
	The National reports of the NCPES show patients with breast cancer report the most positive experience of care. In the 2013 survey report, 88% of breast cancer patients said they were told they had cancer in sensitive way compared to 84% for patients with ‘all cancers'. For this question, breast cancer patients are the joint highest scoring group alongside patients with skin cancer.
	To drive improvement in cancer patient experience, NHS England is working with high performing trusts in the NCPES to identify best practice that can be shared and developed into toolkits and working with trusts with poorer scores to review how they use insights gained from the survey to develop service improvement plans. The national report of the NCPES 2013 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.quality-health.co.uk/resources/surveys/national-cancer-experience-survey/2013-national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-reports/301-2013-national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-programme-national-report/file

Cervical Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Avastin form of the drug bevacizumab will be made available through the NHS for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Norman Lamb: Avastin (bevacizumab) is not currently licensed for use in the treatment of cervical cancer and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not appraised Avastin for this indication.
	In the absence of NICE guidance on a specific drug for a particular condition, it is for national health service commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence.
	Where a drug is not routinely funded by the NHS, patients in England may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund. NHS England is responsible for administering the Fund and its national Cancer Drugs Fund clinical panel added Avastin for the first line treatment of recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, in combination with paclitaxel and either cisplatin or carboplatin, to its national cohort policies list in February 2014. Further information can be obtained from NHS England's website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Clinical Audit

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of doctors and nurses participated in clinical audit in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of NHS funding has been spent on clinical audit in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information regarding either the total proportion of national health service funding that has been spent on clinical audits, or the number of clinicians, including doctors and nurses, who participated in clinical audits, in each of the last five years, is not collected.
	The majority of clinical audit activity in the NHS is locally undertaken by individual healthcare providers.
	However, a small number of national clinical audits covering some of most common conditions are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. In addition, there are also four Clinical Outcome Review Programmes.
	In 2012-13, expenditure on national clinical audits, the Clinical Outcomes Review Programme and a range of supporting activities totalled £14.6 million for the full financial year.

Cystic Fibrosis

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the allocation of donor lungs to cystic fibrosis patients in England; and what steps he is taking to ensure the allocation of donor lungs is based on need and not location.

Jane Ellison: The current lung allocation system, including those to cystic fibrosis patients, is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. The most recent analysis showed no statistically significant differences in allocation across the UK lung transplant centres. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) continues to consider practical steps within the current allocation system which could improve patient outcomes.
	Lung allocation policy is developed by the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group. It is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, who will check to ensure that they meet with the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Daniel Poulter: Estimates of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Department are £42,021 and for Executive agencies/non-departmental public bodies £17,073 in the current financial year.

Epilepsy

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will request the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to carry out a consultation with patients and professionals on the effect of switching between brands of anti-epileptic drugs;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the effects of switching between different versions of levetiracetam and other anti-epileptic drugs;
	(3)  what steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency took to consult with patients before issuing new guidance on switching between different manufacturers' versions of anti-epileptic drugs.

Norman Lamb: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance on the risk of switching between formulations of an anti-epileptic drug (AED) provides guidance to help prescribers and patients to decide whether and when it is necessary to ensure that the patient continues to receive the same formulation of an AED. It is a move from the established regulatory position for generic medicines that they are interchangeable with the innovator product because they have been shown to be bioequivalent to them. It acknowledges concerns of patients about this group of products when switching between different manufacturers' AEDs. The main reason for these concerns is the potentially serious consequences of loss of control of their condition.
	The advice does not affect national health service prescribing policy. Regardless of the category of drug (which is based primarily on the scientific evidence) the advice is clear that doctors may wish to maintain continuity of supply of any AED to meet the needs or anxiety of a particular patient. For these reasons, and because the advice was informed by previous reports from patients and health care professionals, no further consultation was conducted.
	Since publication of the advice in November 2013, the MHRA has received representation from Epilepsy Action against the designation of the lowest risk category of products which the MHRA has termed products ‘unlikely to be of concern' on formulation switching. This category includes levetiracetam. The agency has also received requests for further information about the advice and seen correspondence from the United Kingdom Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy in which they emphasise the importance of views of patients and carers in the prescribing decision. The MHRA has also met with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy to discuss the advice. That meeting included representation from Epilepsy Action.
	MHRA will continue to monitor the safety of these products including reports of any problems associated with switching between different manufacturers' products. The advice will be reviewed after 12 months, but at any time, if the strength of emerging evidence supports it, then re-categorising a particular drug substance will be considered.
	To facilitate continuity of supply of products prescribed generically, the MHRA has written to manufacturers setting out product naming and labelling requirements.

Exercise

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of physical activity programmes to address the needs of people with painful conditions such as arthritis.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a range of guidance on pain and pain management. This guidance represents evidence-based best practice and provides a clear description of what high-quality health and social care services look like, so that organisations can improve quality and achieve excellence.
	The Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Guideline CG79, published by NICE in 2009, states people with rheumatoid arthritis should have access to specialist physiotherapy, with periodic review, to:
	improve general fitness and encourage regular exercise; and
	learn exercises for joint flexibility, muscle strength and managing other functional impairments.
	NICE has also published Clinical Guidance on Low Back Pain, CG88. The guidance includes a recommendation to ‘advise people with low back pain that staying physically active is likely to be beneficial’ and highlights as a key priority for implementation a recommendation to clinicians to consider offering a structured exercise programme tailored to the individual.
	The Department expects clinical commissioning groups to take into account any relevant NICE guidance as they design services to meet the needs of patients.

Female Genital Mutilation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are given in support of NHS nurses reporting cases of female genital mutilation.

Jane Ellison: The Government published the guidance “Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines: Female Genital Mutilation” February 2011, which provides advice to health professionals on when they should report cases under section 47 of the 1989 Children Act.
	Guidance is also available from various professional bodies, for example, the General Medical Council and the Royal College of Midwives. In addition, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children female genital mutilation (FGM) helpline, co-funded by the Home Office, is a resource for health professionals and young people with concerns about safeguarding issues.
	The Department is also working with NHS England, Health Education England and the Royal Colleges to develop materials and training to support NHS staff, including nurses, to better identify and support girls at risk of FGM. Further announcements on this work will be made in due course.

Food Network

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the chair of the food network of the responsibility deal has received (a) paid employment, (b) funding for research and (c) hospitality from the food industry.

Jane Ellison: The Department secures the services of the chair of the Responsibility Deal Food Network through a contract for service with Oxford university as her employer. The terms and conditions of the contract state that the contractor must declare any conflict of interest. None have been declared.
	Professor Jebb, chair of the network, does not receive any personal remuneration from the food industry. She is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for an equipment manufacturer and receives a fee for nutrition articles for a magazine. When commencing her role as chair of the food network and while employed by the Medical Research Council, her research team received funding for a scientific project from WeightWatchers. This project has been completed and the results published.
	She is also co-investigator on two research projects in which weight management companies (WeightWatchers, Slimming World and Rosemary Conley) provide funding in kind through the provision of weight management services to participants in the trials. One study also receives additional support from WeightWatchers for the analysis of blood samples.
	Arrangements for declaring hospitality are a matter for her employer.

Health and Care Professions Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received about the Health and Care Professions Council or its predecessor in the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected.
	The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), formerly known as the Health Professions Council, is an independent body accountable to Parliament. Its decision-making and processes are overseen by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) who undertake an annual performance review.
	The PSA's latest review 2012-13 stated that the HCPC has maintained its performance as an effective regulator across each of its regulatory functions. This review was reported to Parliament and to the Devolved Administrations and can be followed up by further consideration by Parliament. For example, the HCPC was subject to further review by the Health Select Committee in January 2014.

Health Professions

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alert notices have been issued in respect of healthcare professionals in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Prior to 1 April 2013, strategic health authorities (SHAs) in England had responsibility for issuing Healthcare Professionals Alert Notices (HPANs) and they were directed to send a copy to the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS). Since 1 April 2013, NCAS has been a part of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) and is now responsible for issuing and reviewing HPANs. The following table sets out data extracted from the information about HPANs held by the NHS LA. The table is categorised by calendar year from 2009-13 and shows the number of notifications of HPANs issued that NCAS received from SHAs in England:
	
		
			  Number of notices 
			 2009 33 
			 2010 20 
			 2011 44 
			 2012 32 
			 2013 34

Health Services: Older People

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly people have received help with (a) low, (b) moderate, (c) substantial and (d) critical needs in each month since January 2010.

Norman Lamb: We are informed by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre that it collects data annually from councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) on numbers of people receiving social services in each year.
	The data are not broken down by level of assessed need and are only available for complete years. The table shows numbers of older people-aged 65 and over-receiving services provided or commissioned by CASSRs for the years 2009-10 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 Year 1 April to 31 March Total 
			 2009-10 1,147,695 
			 2010-11 1,064,475 
			 2011-12 991,230 
			 2012-13 895,940 
			 Notes: 1. The numbers of people receiving services are collected via the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care returns, which are collected annually from CASSRs and refer to the reporting year 1 April to 31 March. 2. Data rounded to the nearest five.

Health Visitors

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential change in the number of health visitors working with children as a result of the transfer of funding for health visitors from the NHS to local authorities in 2015.

Daniel Poulter: The Department, NHS England, Public Health England and the Local Government Association are working closely together to develop a clear process to ensure an effective and safe transfer of commissioning of children's 0 to 5 public health services, including health visiting services, to local authorities by 1 October 2015. No specific assessment has been made of the potential change in the number of health visitors in the years after commissioning has transferred to local authorities. Health Education England (HEE), in its December 2013 publication, ‘Investing in People for Health and Healthcare: Workforce Plan for England Proposed Education and Training Commissions for 2014/15’, has set out its approach to training health visitors in the longer term, stating:
	“The job of HEE this year and in future years is to maintain the Health Visitor workforce at these new historically high levels.”

Hospitals: Inspections

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers the Care Quality Commission has to carry out spot checks of all wards of a hospital without seeking the permission of the relevant commissioner beforehand.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act) all providers of regulated activities, including national health service and independent providers, have to register with the CQC and meet a set of requirements of safety and quality.
	Under section 60 of the 2008 Act, the CQC has the power to inspect providers of a regulated activity, including hospitals. CQC is not required to seek any permission (including commissioners) before exercising these powers.

Medical Records: Databases

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who currently manages the GP dataset; what commercial companies are involved in its management; and where each server on which data are stored is located.

Daniel Poulter: The first collection of data from general practitioner surgeries under care.data will not begin until autumn 2014. When the data have been extracted from general practice systems, the Health and Social Care Information Centre will have responsibility for managing the processing of the data. All extracted data will be processed and stored on servers located in England.

Medical Treatments

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many stenting procedures in the (a) iliac, (b) femoral and (c) anterior arteries below the knee have taken place in each NHS trust in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	We have provided a count of finished consultant episodes with a main or secondary procedure of stenting in the iliac, femoral and anterior arteries below the knee, by provider trust, for the period 2012-13.
	It is not possible to specify anterior arteries “below the knee”. Therefore we have provided information on anterior arteries which are included in the “below the knee” area, though this is not exclusive to and does not include all possible “below the knee” anterior arteries.
	It should be noted that a single record can contain more than one procedure and so may appear in more than one group.
	In addition, these data should not be described as a count of people, as the same person may have been treated on more than one occasion.
	To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with ‘*’ (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify figures from the total, additional figures have been replaced with ‘*’.
	Reference should be made to the footnotes when interpreting the data.

Mental Health Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffering with mental health problems were treated using cognitive behavioural therapy in the UK in 2013.

Norman Lamb: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is one of the means by which people can access talking therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). We do not hold data centrally on the numbers of people accessing these therapies outside of the IAPT programme.
	However, the number of attended1,2 IAPT appointments with a recorded therapy type of ‘cognitive behavioural therapy’ or ‘computerised cognitive behavioural therapy’ (CCBT) is as follows:
	
		
			 England Number of attended appointments 
			 CBT 476,245 
			 CCBT 31,961 
			 1 As this was the first year of reporting from the IAPT dataset, only those appointments associated with referrals received in the year are included. Referrals that predate this point are not included in the figures. 2 Appointments must be attended, but could include direct (face to face) and indirect (telephone, web camera, talk type, email or sms) contact. Data Source: Table 3, Psychological Therapies, England; Annual Report on the use of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services—2012/13

Mental Health Services: Children

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure that children who need mental health interventions are placed in facilities as close to their homes as possible.

Norman Lamb: Our aim is to support children and young people with mental health problems wherever possible in the community in which they live. Admission to hospital should be a last resort for a young person. If a child requires in-patient care the decision as to where they are placed will depend on what is available and what facilities are needed based on an assessment of their clinical needs.
	NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of Tier 4 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Tier 4, Specialised Services, are for children and adolescents with the most serious of needs who require high levels of support.
	They are undertaking a rapid review of Tier 4 services across the country which will help inform decisions about how such services are to be provided and delivered in the future. The review is due to report later this month.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the inclusion of indicators in the Public Health Outcomes Framework on physical activity levels among people with (a) back pain, (b) osteoarthritis and (c) other painful musculoskeletal conditions.

Jane Ellison: While there is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) on physical activity levels, there are no indicators in the PHOF specifically on physical activity levels among people with back pain, osteoarthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions.
	The Department will not add new indicators to the PHOF until 2016 to provide local authorities with stability in prioritising and commissioning public health interventions. The current PHOF will be reviewed in late 2015.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated by each local authority to (a) prevent the onset of musculoskeletal conditions and (b) mitigate the effects of such conditions.

Jane Ellison: Upper tier and unitary local authorities in England have a duty to take appropriate steps to improve the health of their local populations. The Department has allocated £5.46 billion over two years, 2013-14 and 2014-15, to local authorities to fund the discharge of their public health duties. There are a limited number of mandated services that local authorities have a duty to commission or to provide. However, for the most part local authorities have discretion to invest the public health budget to meet local needs, including services to prevent the onset or mitigate the effects of musculoskeletal conditions, if that is a local priority based on population needs.
	Public Health England recognises the burden of disease in England through musculoskeletal disease (MSK) and is working across the life course to promote the healthy behaviours which reduce the risk of MSK through increasing physical activity, improving diet arid nutrition and reducing obesity.

NHS England

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS England on that body's policy for payment of senior staff after leaving NHS jobs for a period of secondment.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not held discussions with NHS England on its secondment policy. It is for NHS England and the receiving organisation to agree the terms of any secondment and the associated remuneration arrangements.
	NHS England has advised that secondments for very senior staff are decided by its Remuneration Committee on a case by case basis.

NHS: Data Protection

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious data breaches the NHS has registered in each year since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: A serious data breach is a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 and involves information about identifiable or potentially identifiable individuals. Where data are extremely sensitive this may be information about a single identifiable individual, however, even where no confidential clinical information is involved an incident involving fifty individuals would still be classed as serious. Examples of different data breaches range from a ward handover sheet left on a bus, a wrongly addressed letter, a stolen diary, an error resulting in data being put on a website, a deliberate and unlawful act. Responsibility for serious data breaches rests with the organisation that registers the breach. It is also the responsibility of individual organisations to ensure they have sufficient arrangements in place to guard against serious data breaches.
	Prior to June 2013, details of serious data breaches were reported via various different resource criteria and accurate figures are not available. A new reporting tool for registering serious data breaches was introduced in June 2013 to remedy this situation. In the period from 1 June 2013 to 14 March 2014, 269 serious data breaches have been registered, the majority of them involving small numbers of individuals and resulting from theft or error:
	
		
			 NHS organisations Total 1 June 2013 to 14 March 2014 
			 Acute Trust 145 
			 Ambulance Trust 1 
			 Area Team/Region/Hosted Body 1 
			 Clinical Commissioning Group 11 
			 Commercial Third Party 2 
			 Commissioning Support Unit 2 
			 Community Health Provider 15 
			 Community Pharmacy/Dispensing Appliance Contractors 1 
			 General Practice 10 
			 Mental Health Trust 81 
			 Total 269

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to contribute to the consultation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council on its proposals to increase its compulsory annual fee.

Daniel Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is an independent body and it is therefore for the NMC Council to determine the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The NMC advises that no decision has been made. Any proposed increase would be subject to public consultation where the NMC's case would be scrutinised. The Department does not usually contribute to such consultations but all professional regulators, including the NMC, are aware of the Department's position on registration fees. In February 2011, the Government published ‘Enabling Excellence’, which states that we would not expect registration fees to increase beyond their current levels, unless there is a clear and robust business case that any increase is essential to ensure the exercise of statutory duties.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the Nursing and Midwifery Council's proposal to raise nurse registration fees.

Daniel Poulter: Since 1 January 2014, the Department has received a number of representations about the level of the annual fee charged by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for registration and whether this will be raised in future. As at 14 March 2014, these representations included six items of correspondence: four from Members of Parliament, one from the Royal College of Nursing and one from a member of the public. The Department has received four related parliamentary questions (PQs), including two PQs tabled by the hon. Member. The Department has also responded to an e-petition, created on 5 February 2014, opposing an increase in the NMC's registration fee.

Organs: Donors

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider introducing a national lung allocation system based on need and not location.

Jane Ellison: The current lung allocation system is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. The most recent analysis showed no statistically significant differences across the UK lung transplant centres.
	NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) continues to consider practical steps within the current allocation system which could improve patient outcomes.
	Lung allocation policy is developed by the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group. It is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients.
	Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, which will check to ensure that they meet with the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.

Orthopaedics

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many lower limb amputations procedures took place through the NHS in each NHS trust in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

PA Consulting Group

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the contract between the NHS and PA Consulting is due to end.

Daniel Poulter: The data sharing agreement with PA Consulting is due to end on 30 November 2015.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2014, Official Report, column 196W, on Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, for what reasons his Department considers that the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme does not affect the operation of Government accounting and borrowing rules; to which organisations his Department has communicated this; whether he has discussed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer the possibility of allowing an exemption to Government accounting and borrowing rules in this instance; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) provides for payments to be made from scheme members to the Department on the basis of an agreed forecast of branded medicines spend growth, in order to pay for expected spend above the agreed growth limits. Future payments will be adjusted in the light of actual outturn in order to keep the spend which is controlled by the PPRS within the agreed growth limit.
	The PPRS, which is a public document, does not cover the onward financial flows of the payments to national health service commissioners, which are subject to the Government accounting and budgeting rules in the normal way. The Department has discussed these financial flows with NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
	There have been and will continue to be discussions within and across Government about the PPRS agreement, including how it is ensuring that patients benefit from the scheme.

Respite Care

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to local authorities on the provision of respite care to severely disabled children and adults.

Norman Lamb: Since April 2011, all local authorities have been required to provide a variety of short breaks services for disabled children, providing much-needed respite for their parents and carers. Regulations introduced in October 2011 further require local authorities to publish a Short Breaks Duty Statement, describing what short breaks services are available in their area and how they can be accessed. Authorities must develop these statements in consultation with disabled young people and their families and must review them regularly to ensure that they remain responsive to local needs.
	The Department provided £400 million to the national health service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. In the 2013 Spending Round, we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund to promote better integration between health and care services, in 2015-16.
	Guidance to Health and Wellbeing Boards, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities in taking forward next steps on the Better Care Fund has been issued as part of the NHS England planning guidance. This guidance makes clear that future funding of breaks for adult carers for 2015-16 will be included in the Better Care Fund.

Respite Care

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities currently planning to close homes offering respite care to severely disabled children and adults.

Norman Lamb: The Department has not made any assessment of the number of local authorities planning to close homes offering respite care to disabled adults. Responsibility for such services for children rests with the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).
	Local authorities have a duty to meet peoples' eligible needs for care. They are free to decide whether to do so directly, via their own services, or through contracting with independent providers. The decision to close a local authority care home is taken by the local authority itself.
	In considering changes to the extent of their direct provision of residential care, local authorities must take full account of the welfare and wishes of residents and staff of the homes concerned and the needs and wishes of the local population. They must also act legally. The Department is concerned that any decision to close a home should be handled as sensitively and appropriately as possible. In such a situation, it is essential that proper arrangements are made for the safe and satisfactory transfer of residents to other suitable homes.
	Adequate time should be allowed for the process, so that residents and their relatives can make decisions and arrangements in a way that minimises stress. Local authorities have a statutory duty to reassess the needs of residents of a home which closes and must arrange suitable alternative accommodation for those who are assessed as needing residential care.

Salt: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce salt consumption by children.

Jane Ellison: Work to reduce salt intakes, including amongst children, has been a key area of work of the Public Health Responsibility Deal (RD) since its launch in March 2011. Two sets of new and challenging targets for levels of salt in a wide range of foods were issued through the RD on 7 March. This includes those foods commonly consumed by children both in and out of the home. Work is now under way to engage with businesses to adopt and work towards these targets.
	The Change4Life programme is targeted at families and gives information on the benefits of reducing salt intakes, and easy ways to do this, through advertising, published materials and its website. Together these actions will help to enable people to lead healthier lifestyles and make sure that children develop healthy eating habits, including a lower salt consumption.

Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a joint PHE-JCVI-DH-NICE working group to examine how the impact of vaccination programmes could best be assessed has been established and has yet met.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation at its February 2014 meeting agreed the terms of reference of the PHE-JCVI-DH-NICE working group and arrangements for the establishment of the group are under way. The working group is yet to meet.

DEFENCE

Capita

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) length and (b) value is of each contract his Department currently holds with Capita.

Philip Dunne: Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about contracts they award on Contracts Finder:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	Details of contracts with Capita which commenced prior to January 2011 or have not been published on the Contracts Finder are in the following table:
	
		
			 Start date End date Title Supplier Current total value (£) 
			 1 April 2007 31 March 2014 Unify Hardware Systems support and maintenance services Capita Secure Information Solutions 2,396,015 
			 6 September 2010 30 September 2015 Medical services Capita Health and Wellbeing 7,394,652 
			 3 January 2011 31 December 2016 The provision of a secondary and middle schools management information system The Capita Group plc 116,260 
			 30 March 2011 31 March 2016 Provision of a managed airwave terminal service for the UK MOD Capita Secure Information Solutions 5,500,000 
			 21 December 2012 21 December 2014 Project Management services for construction project Capita Property and Infrastructure 154,806 
		
	
	
		
			 25 March 2013 31 March 2015 Theatre Network and Service Management Capability service Capita Secure Information Solutions 5,505,671

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 13W, on defence: procurement, if he will (a) place in the Library and (b) publish on his Department's website the breakdown by UK region of his Department's expenditure with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Philip Dunne: The level of direct Ministry of Defence expenditure placed with small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the English regions and other constituent parts of the UK in each of the last three financial years will be placed in the Library of the House.
	We currently have no plans to publish regional expenditure statistics on the gov.uk website.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  for what reasons representatives of his Department did not mention the incident at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment in January 2012 in any of their oral or written reports to the Dounreay Stakeholder Group in 2012 and 2013;
	(2)  whether he instructed his officials not to make public the problem with the reactor cooling system at Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment at the Dounreay Stakeholder Group meetings of 19 January, 25 April, 18 July and 7 November 2012;
	(3)  for what reasons the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator did not mention the incident at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment in January 2012 in (a) his quarterly reports to the Dounreay Stakeholder Group and (b) his 2012 annual report.

Philip Dunne: The issue with the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment at Dounreay has been classed as a Level 0 event on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) meaning that it is ‘below scale’ and has no safety significance.
	Level 0 events are not routinely made public and are not routinely reported. That has been the practice of successive Governments, and it is the practice throughout the civil and military nuclear sectors.
	Routine discharges from NRTE have remained well within the limits approved by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Discharge information is published annually as part of the ‘Radioactivity in Food and the Environment’ publication.
	If there had been any safety risk the Dounreay Stakeholder Group would have been informed.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department first became aware of the increase in discharges of noble gases from the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment as a result of the incident in January 2012.

Philip Dunne: Routine discharges of noble gases from the Naval Reactor Test Establishment are a normal result of the process of sampling cooling water from the reactor plant.
	Following the detection of low levels of radioactivity in the cooling water in January 2012, the frequency of sampling was increased, necessarily leading to an increase in controlled discharges of noble gases in 2012, but still well within approved limits. In accordance with the requirement to reduce risk As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP), and following acceptance by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, modifications to site procedures and equipment since then have reduced discharges to levels that are lower than they were before 2012.
	Routine discharges from NRTE have remained well within the limits approved by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Discharge information is published annually as part of the ‘Radioactivity in Food and the Environment’ publication.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has measured the dimensions of the fracture in the cladding of the fuel core of the reactor in the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment;
	(2)  whether his Department has identified the exact location of the fracture in the cladding of the fuel core of the reactor in the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment.

Philip Dunne: Trials and analysis undertaken to characterise the changes in performance of the cladding has allowed it to be localised to a small area of the cladding that surrounds one fuel element within the core of the reactor. Precise physical location and measurement will not be possible until reactor operations have concluded and the core has been removed for detailed examination. No leak from the sealed reactor unit occurred at any time.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish and place in the Library a copy of the advice from the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator on the incident at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment in January 2012 and its implications for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme.

Philip Dunne: Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) written advice on the issue with the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment has been limited to letters to the operators regarding regulatory hold points and permissions to operate.
	I am arranging for copies of the letters to be placed in the Library of the House, redacted as necessary to withhold information whose release would prejudice national security, the defence of the UK or international relations.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons (a) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (b) the Office for Nuclear Regulation were told to keep the information regarding the problem with the reactor cooling system at Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment on a need to know basis for security reasons.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister or official, at what level within his Department, decided to advise the (a) Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and (b) Office for Nuclear Regulation that information relating to the January 2012 incident at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment had national security implications and should be treated on a need-to-know basis.

Philip Dunne: Information on the design and operation of naval reactor plant is highly classified as it would allow deductions to be made about the operational capability and performance of Royal Navy submarines. As for all classified material, it is subject to strict controls and is only shared on a need to know basis, including within the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
	The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the MOD and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on matters relating to radioactive substances includes provisions that enable SEPA to carry out its regulatory role effectively while ensuring that classified information is properly protected.
	Similarly there is a General Agreement between MOD and the Health and Safety Executive covering the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
	All classified information shared with SEPA and the ONR on the issue with the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment was provided under the auspices of these agreements.
	No direction was given to SEPA to withhold information from Scottish Ministers.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a lessons-learnt exercise has been carried out following the discovery of problems with reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report from any such exercise.

Philip Dunne: The reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE) is a prototype, one of the main purposes of which is to allow lessons to be learned.
	One aim of ongoing operations at the NRTE, and of the subsequent examination of the reactor core, is to understand better the cause of the issue with the reactor. This will allow appropriate decisions to be taken and lessons learned as necessary.
	In addition, as the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced on 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 1081, the MOD chief scientific adviser will review again the evidence on which the decision not to operate a test reactor in future was based. The Secretary of State for Defence will inform the House of the outcome of that review in due course.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice was given to Ministers by (a) the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, (b) the Head of Nuclear Propulsion and (c) the Naval Superintendent, Vulcan relating to potential risks to submarine safety following the discovery of problems with reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant correspondence.

Philip Dunne: The views of a wide range of experts, including the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, the Head of Nuclear Propulsion and the Naval Superintendant Vulcan were incorporated into overall advice to Ministers.
	Discussions have also been held with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEP A), in line with the Memorandum of Agreement between the Ministry of Defence and SEPA.
	Advice to Ministers on this subject is being withheld as its release would prejudice national security, the defence of the UK, international relations and the formulation of Government policy.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  in which periods the reactor at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment was shut down between 1 January 2012 and 11 March 2014;
	(2)  how many days the reactor at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment was shut down between 1 January 2012 and 6 March 2014.

Philip Dunne: Following the detection of low levels of radioactivity in the reactor cooling water in January 2012, the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE) was shut down as a precaution. Reactor operations restarted in November 2012 following investigations, a series of trials and discussion with the relevant regulators including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Reactor operations have since continued, other than during periods of routine maintenance, which are a normal part of the safe operation of the site.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long (a) HMS Westminster, (b) HMS Brocklesby and (c) HMS Daring will be stationed in Gibraltar.

Mark Francois: The Royal Navy's permanent presence in Gibraltar is maintained by the Gibraltar Squadron, consisting of HMS Scimitar and HMS Sabre. HMS Westminster, HMS Brocklesby and HMS Daring are not stationed in Gibraltar, but have recently passed through and conducted some training.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of the fuel core which will be loaded onto HMS Vanguard in the refuelling announced on 6 March 2014.

Philip Dunne: The additional cost of refuelling Vanguard is estimated to be about £120 million. Precise costs, including of the reactor core itself, will be subject to the successful outcome of commercial negotiations. I am withholding further details as to release them would prejudice commercial interests.

Joint Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets and how many personnel are taking part in Exercise Saber Strike; what the cost to the public purse is of the exercise; and what assets and how many personnel took part in each of the last five Saber Strike exercises.

Mark Francois: Exercise Saber Strike is a long-standing security cooperation exercise led by the United States army in Europe. The exercise is primarily focused on the Baltic States. The United Kingdom first participated in this exercise in 2013.
	Around 40 UK military personnel took part in this exercise in 2013 at a cost of around £23,000 for food, accommodation and movement.
	Around 140 UK military personnel are expected to participate in Exercise Saber Strike 2014 at an estimated cost of around £84,000 for food, accommodation and movement.

Logistic Commodities and Services

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) civil servants, (b) consultants and (c) Ministers of his Department have had on the Logistical Commodities Services Transformation Programme with (i) Telford and Wrekin Council and (ii) Cherwell District Council;
	(2)  what the overall consultancy budget is for the delivery of the Logistical Commodities Services Transformation Programme; and how much of that budget has been spent to date;
	(3)  how many (a) civil servants and (b) consultants are working on an in-house solution for the Logistical Commodities Services Transformation Programme; and where they are located;
	(4)  how many (a) civil servants and (b) consultants are working on the Logistical Commodities Services Transformation Programme;
	(5)  what the timetable is for (a) each stage and (b) the final completion of the Logistical Commodities Services Transformation Programme.

Philip Dunne: The Logistic Commodities and Services Transformation project (LCS(T)) is currently in its Assessment Phase. Invitations to Negotiate were issued to two external bidders in December 2013 and it is expected that negotiations with these bidders will be completed in the autumn of this year followed by project approval in December 2014. It is our intention to decide on the future location of Ministry of Defence (MOD) logistics activity before March 2015.
	The Defence Equipment and Support LCS(T) project team, located at MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol and MOD Ensleigh, Bath, draws on 78 civil servants (of which 34 are manpower substitutes) and seven military officers; of these, 36 civil servants (of which 17 are manpower substitutes) and six military officers are involved in the development of the in-house solution.
	External assistance for the LCS(T) project is contracted on the basis of man days provided. As at 28 February 2014, £6.1 million has been spent.
	Since May 2013 the MOD has held 10 meetings with Telford and Wrekin council. Similarly, there have been nine meetings with Cherwell district council.
	MOD Ministers have had no meetings with either council. It would not be appropriate to do so while LCS(T) is still in its Assessment Phase.

Military Aircraft

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the (a) serial number and (b) date of entry into service is for each (i) C-17A Globemaster, (ii) Hercules C1/C3 (K), (iii) C4/C5 (J), (iv) Tristar and (v) VC10 airframe;
	(2)  what the (a) serial number and (b) date of entry into service is for each (i) BAE 125, (ii) BAE 146, (iii) Agusta and (iv) Islander BN2T CC Mk2 airframe;
	(3)  what the date of entry into service is for each (a) Griffin HT1, (b) Hawk T2, (c) Hawk T1, (d) King Air, (e) Tucano, (f) Tutor T Mark 1, (g) Squirrel HT1, (h) Vigilant T1 and (i) Viking T1 airframe;
	(4)  what the (a) serial number and (b) date of entry into service is for each (i) Typhoon, (ii) Tornado GR4 and (iii) Sentinel R1 airframe.

Philip Dunne: I am placing into the Library of the House the requested information for the following fleets:
	C-17A Globemaster
	Hercules C4/C5 (J)
	TriStar
	BAE 125
	BAE 146
	Vigilant T1
	Viking T1
	Typhoon
	Tornado GR4.
	Information for the following fleets is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost:
	Hawk T2
	Hawk-T1
	Tucano
	Sentinel R1
	Islander BN2T CC Mk 2.
	The following fleets are contractor-owned and the information requested is not held by the Ministry of Defence:
	Agusta A109E
	Griffin HT1
	King Air
	Tutor T1
	Squirrel HT1
	The Hercules C1/C3(K) and VC10 fleets have been withdrawn from service.

Military Aircraft

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the date of entry into service is for each (a) Chinook, (b) Griffin HAR2, (c) Puma, (d) Puma HC2, (e) Merlin and (f) Sea King airframe.

Philip Dunne: The entry into service dates (in-service dates) for the aircraft, split by marks, are:
	
		
			  Date 
			 Chinook Mk 2 1993 
			 Chinook Mk 2a 1999 
			 Chinook Mk 3 2009 
			 Chinook Mk 4 2012 
			 Griffin HAR2 2003 
			 Puma 19711 
			 Puma HC2 20132 
			 Merlin Mk 1 1999 
			 Merlin Mk 3 2000 
			 Merlin Mk 3a 2008 
			 Sea King HAR Mk 3 1978 
			 Sea King HAR Mk 3A 1996 
			 Sea King HC Mk 4 1979 
			 Sea King HU Mk 5 1980 
			 Sea King ASaC Mk 7 2002 
			 1 Aircraft out of service in December 2012. 2 Aircraft release to service date.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which NATO member states have sent maritime patrol aircraft to (a) RAF Lossiemouth and (b) RAF Leuchars since September 2013; which aircraft were so sent; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Mark Francois: Canada, France and Germany have sent maritime patrol aircraft to RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leuchars since September 2013, either as part of joint exercises or for refuelling. The aircraft sent included CP-140 Aurora, Atlantique 2 and P-3C Orion.

Navy: Deployment

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vessels were (a) intercepted and (b) boarded by the Royal Navy in UK territorial waters in each year since 2011.

Mark Francois: The Royal Navy only centrally records the number of boardings undertaken in UK Territorial Waters by the Fishery Protection Squadron. This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Boardings 
			 2011 1,415 
			 2012 1,086 
			 2013 1655 
			 2014 (up to 12 March) 89 
			 1 In April 2013 there was a change to terms of the agreement between the Royal Navy and the Marine Management Organisation. 
		
	
	Royal Navy units board other vessels in accordance with Safety of Life at Sea conventions and while aiding the Civil Authorities, but the details of such incidents are not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations were conducted to establish the safety of reactors on board the Royal Navy's nuclear powered submarines following the discovery of problems with reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment; which submarines were investigated; on what dates investigations (a) commenced and (b)  were concluded; and whether any implications for reactor safety were identified for any vessel following such investigations.

Philip Dunne: There are long-established procedures for carrying out routine sampling and analysis of reactor cooling water on the UK’s nuclear submarines. These procedures have been reviewed, including a review of historical records, to confirm their continued effectiveness.
	A similar issue to that in the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment has never been detected in an operational submarine. We are confident that if one did occur, we would detect it straight away.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to his statement of 6 March 2014, Official Report, columns 1077-9, on nuclear submarines, how much of the additional £150 million investment announced on 6 March 2014 is for (a) Devonport and (b) Raynesway;
	(2)  what work will be carried out at (a) Devonport and (b) Raynesway as a result of the £150 million investment.

Philip Dunne: The total cost of the investment needed to keep open the option of refuelling HMS Victorious is still being scoped, but is expected to be of the order of £150 million. That work will include investment in the refuelling facilities at Devonport Dockyard and in the reactor core production capability at the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby.
	Precise costs cannot be calculated until the scope of work has been agreed, and will then be subject to commercial negotiations with the relevant suppliers.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any restrictions have been placed on the operation of reactors onboard Royal Navy submarines as a result of the incident at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment in January 2012.

Philip Dunne: It is MOD policy not to comment on submarine operations.
	A similar issue to that in the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment has never been detected in an operational submarine.

RAF Croughton

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there is a NATO communications installation at RAF Croughton.

Mark Francois: RAF Croughton does not host any NATO units although the base does provide some support to units within NATO.

Trident

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what financial contribution would be requested from the Welsh Government in relocation costs if Trident were moved to the Cleddau in the event of Scottish independence;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) timescale on relocating Trident to the Cleddau in the event of Scottish independence;
	(3)  what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the protocols required between the UK and Welsh Governments pertaining to environmental protection in the Cleddau estuary should Trident be moved from its current base in Scotland;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on relocating Trident to the Cleddau in the event of Scottish independence.

Andrew Murrison: The UK Government's position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. The UK is not making plans for Scottish independence and is not making plans to move the nuclear deterrent or other submarines from Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. HM Naval Base Clyde is the largest employment site in Scotland, with around 6,700 military and civilian jobs now, increasing to around 8,200 by 2022 when it becomes home to all of the Royal Navy's submarines. We have not received any official representations from the Welsh Government nor had discussions with them regarding the basing in Wales of the nuclear deterrent.

Uranium

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with its US counterpart on revisions to the future demand for highly enriched uranium for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme;
	(2)  what revisions his Department has made to the projected future demand for highly enriched uranium for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme.

Philip Dunne: Information on the UK's requirements for highly enriched uranium is being withheld as its release would prejudice national security, the defence of the UK and international relations.